Samsung Display is expected to start production of Gen 8 OLED panels aimed at IT devices in the first half of 2026, according to an analyst firm.
The South Korean display maker earlier this year announced that it will start spending 4.1 trillion won to secure production lines for Gen 8 OLED panels.
Gen 8 refers to the substrate size and larger ones are more economical to manufacture larger panels.
For example, Gen 6 substrates are used to manufacture OLED panels used in smartphones. Gen 8 will allow the more profitable production of OLED panels used in larger devices such as tablets, notebooks, and monitors.
UBI Research noted that LG Display and BOE are also expected to invest in Gen 8 OLED once they secure funding and customers.
Visionox was also in talks with equipment makers to start investing in Gen 8 OLED panels, the analyst firm noted.
Demand for Gen 8 OLED panels for set makers will increase in the future, allowing them to become the new profit generators for display makers, UBI Research added.
The analyst firm also noted that 7.9 million units of IT OLED panels are expected to be shipped this year, but this will jump to 18.8 million units next year.
This is because Apple, Samsung Display’s largest customer for OLED panels, is expected to launch its first OLED iPad in 2024.
Samsung Display and LG Display are expected to use their existing Gen 6 OLED production lines to provide the first batch of panels to be used in OLED iPads, UBI Research said.
