Samsung and LG.Display are not only South Korean competitors but also the two largest manufacturers of display panels. LG.Display has now overtaken Samsung in LCD panel production for the first time in seven years.

LG.Display overtakes Samsung
Samsung has been the largest manufacturer of LCD panels for seven years (on a year-to-year basis) but LG.Display (LG’s display production division) overtook Samsung in the fourth quarter of 2012, says DisplaySearch.


LG.Display is now bigger than Samsung in display production. In the picture you see an OLED production substrate that Samsung and LG plan to focus on in the future
 
In the fourth quarter of 2012, LG controlled 28 % of the LCD panel market and Samsung controlled 25.1 %. LG has managed to take the lead after signing contracts with Sony and Panasonic that have begun using LG’s LCD panels in new TVs. Sony was previously a partner of Samsung. LG has also supplied the largest share of LCD panels for Apple’s iPad that has seen explosive growth.

In the last few years, Samsung has moved its high-end display production to OLED for smartphones but DisplaySearch says that even if OLED is included, LG.Display still leads. According to DisplaySearch, Samsung has not been able to continue its growth because its display production largely relies on its own products such as monitors, TVs and smartphones.

LG also report that they have increased the market share in the high-end panel segment; panels for high-end TVs and high-end smartphones such as the iPhone and HTC One amongst others.

Both of the South Korean manufacturers are planning to move production capacity to OLED technology over the coming years.

- Source: DisplaySearch via Chosunilbo