LG Display and Samsung Electronics have resumed talks about a partnership that would see the former supply the latter with WOLED panels for use in Samsung TVs.
LG Display's CFO acknowledged in mid-2022 that it had negotiated with Samsung Electronics to supply it with WOLED TV panels, but added that "the process has come to a halt".
The two arch rivals are now back at it, according to a report by Korean newspaper The Elec.
- "The resumption of the pair's talk has much to do with the changes in the worldwide display sector," wrote The Elec. "Samsung Electronics is now more reliant on Chinese display panel makers that are dominating the LCD sector. Chinese panel makers have since then become less favorable towards Samsung, sources said."
Samsung Display stopped producing LCD panels last year, so Samsung Electronics now sources LCD panels for its "QLED" models mainly from Chinese panel makers.
LG's WOLED differs from Samsung's QD-OLED by using color filters and an extra white subpixel. Photo: LG Display
For 2024 mid-range OLED TVs
If the deal passes, Samsung could launch TVs with WOLED panels in 2024 as mid-range models that sit below the high-end QD-OLED models, according to the report.
Samsung currently offers three QD-OLED TV models – S95B, S90C and S95C – while the rest of the line-up is all LCD.
Also read: First eLEAP OLED displays to be mass-produced from 2025
LG Display on the other hand is struggling with sizeable operating losses, so a partnership with arch rival Samsung could help create a South Korean front against China.
- Source: The Elec
