Shortly after Samsung reportedly has put their OLED plans on hold, Sony appears to be doing the same. Nikkei reports that Sony will put developments of OLED TVs on hold to focus on 4K LCD TVs.
Update: Sony has denied Nikkei's report in a statement to Whathifi, saying: "Sony has made no announcement in this regard. Sony continues developing and looking into reliable ways to mass produce OLED displays for consumers while continuing to build experience via providing OLED displays for professional, medical and broadcast use."
Sony to put OLED TVs on hold
This is actually the second time Sony has put its OLED plans on hold. After introducing the world’s first OLED TV – the 11-inch XEL-1 – Sony stopped development. They restarted the project after Samsung and LG began to focus on OLED.
And now this. Nikkei reports that Sony will put development of OLED TVs on ice for now. All engineers working with OLED TVs will be reassigned. In the near term, Sony will instead focus on 4K LCD TVs.
Sony exhibited this 4K OLED-TV at CES
Sony and Panasonic announced an OLED partnership in 2012, but it was short-lived. Sony and Panasonic are now in talks with LG to buy OLED panels from their factories. If this turns out to be the case, it could mean that Sony will be introducing OLED TVs soon, despite the plans to stop in-house development.
Still, is this a mistake? Sony famously lost the battle to the South Korean TV makers when LCD TVs rose to fame, since they decided to let them develop and produce the TVs. Sony is now making the same decision regarding OLED TVs.
- Source: Nikkei
Sony reportedly dropping OLED TVs to focus on 4K LCD
