Samsung Display will begin installing equipment for its 6th OLED line – the world's most advanced – this year and reach full-scale production in 2026.
Get ready for an avalanche of next-generation OLED displays in laptops, tablets, and other small-to-medium-sized devices in the coming years.
As announced in April 2023, Samsung Display is investing 4.1 trillion won ($3.1 billion USD) in the world's first 8.6G OLED IT plant, as it has fully stopped producing LCD panels. Samsung Display supplies OLED panels to a long list of consumer brands.
On March 8, the company held a ceremony in Asan, South Korea, to mark that it has commenced construction of the facility. Photo: Samsung Display
10 million OLED laptop panels per year
As measured in laptop panels, it has an annual production capacity of roughly 10 million panels per year. However, production capacity will vary depending on the size of the panels (see photo).
- "The A6 line is the 8.6-generation (2290mmx2620mm) IT-only OLED line that Samsung Display builds by revamping the existing L8 line, and it is Samsung's 6th OLED line and the highest-generation line in the world when completed," announced Samsung Display.
Also read: Future of displays: Insights from our LG Display & Samsung Display visits
The new OLED line will not produce TV panels. Samsung Display has yet to announce a major expansion in the production of QD-OLED TV panels.
Here's how 8.6G OLED production compares to the current 5.5G production. More panels can be cut from larger substrates. Photo: FlatpanelsHD
Full-scale production in 2026
The A6 production line could start production at a smaller scale before 2026, although the company only commented on the timeline for full-scale production.
- "Samsung Display recently completed the clean room construction in the new line, and started with the introduction of the deposition necessary to make OLED organic materials into display pixels, install major facilities within the year, and start a full-scale mass production system from 2026."
China's BOE has announced a $9 billion investment in 8.6G OLED IT production estimated to be ready in late 2026. LG Display has yet to publicly commit to 8.6G IT OLED production but is reportedly moving forward with an investment.
Market research firm Omdia forecasts that the IT OLED market will grow at an average annual rate of 28.6% from $2.534 billion in 2024 to $8.913 billion in 2029 as major players including Apple and Dell transition from LCD to OLED in laptops and tablets.
