Q&A: TCL CSOT reveals its latest OLED innovations

At its annual conference, TCL CSOT revealed new OLED displays, including very high-resolution OLED and the first OLED with variable refresh rates in different areas of the screen.

TCL CSOT is getting serious about OLED.

Last month, the company broke ground on a massive factory, which will be the first to mass-produce 8.6-generation inkjet-printed OLED panels for improved picture quality, higher efficiency and lower costs.


High-res and partitioned OLED
At its annual DTC conference in Suzhou, China, some OLED panels likely to be produced at the new factory starting in 2027 were showcased.

A printed 16-inch OLED panel with 2.5K resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3 and 400 nits brightness is designed as a gaming display for laptops. It will compete Samsung Display's OLED panels that have been making inroads in laptops in recent years.

There was also a 13.2-inch OLED tablet display with a 3120x2080 resolution. It is the world's first with partitioned frequency driving, allowing one area of the display to, for example, refresh at 24Hz (movie) while the rest of the display operates at a different refresh rate (1–120Hz). This can reduce power consumption by 15–25% in future OLED tablets, according to the company. See FlatpanelsHD's Q&A at the bottom.


High-resolution RGB OLED
TCL CSOT also showcased the world's highest-PPI RGB OLED panel, achieving 1512 pixels per inch on a 2.56-inch panel (2560x2740 pixels). It supports 120Hz and is manufactured on a glass substrate – not silicon.

The small panel is intended for XR headsets and could potentially replace the low-quality, low-resolution LCD panels in headsets like Meta Quest 3, although TCL CSOT refrained from answered our question about the timeframe for mass production. For comparison, the micro-OLED panel used in Apple Vision Pro delivers 3386 PPI, but is manufactured on silicon – not glass.

 Also read: TCL CSOT showcases 5131ppi 'retina-grade' micro-LED for AR glasses


Another OLED panel at 5.65 inches is the world's first with a "real" RGB-stripe pixel layout (red, green and blue subpixels in stripes), achieving 390 PPI for RGB-stripe, which is equivalent to 490 PPI for diamond-pentile, currently used in most OLED smartphones, said TCL CSOT.

It was manufactured using inkjet printing and is designed for smartphones. Xiaomi is one of the smartphone makers using OLED panels from TCL CSOT.

In addition to the OLED panels that TCL CSOT had already showcased, for PC monitors and more, it is clear that starting in 2027 LG Display and Samsung Display will face strong competition on OLED technology from China.


FlatpanelsHD's questions
In FlatpanelsHD's Q&A, TCL CSOT commented on some of the new products and plans. However, the display maker is not yet ready to commit to OLED TV panels.


FlatpanelsHD: Can TCL CSOT provide any update on plans or examinations into mass production of OLED TV panels?

Ming-Jong Jou, Chief of the Technology Planning Center at TCL CSOT: "TCL CSOT is advancing two types of OLED technologies: traditional FMM OLED (Fine Metal Mask) and Inkjet-printed OLED (IJP OLED), and TCL CSOT is widely recognized as the global leader of IJP OLED technology.

TCL CSOT’s OLED technology, especially IJP OLED, is currently focused on mid‑size applications.

The TCL CSOT Global Display Tech-Ecosystem Conference (DTC 2025) this year was a significant moment for us because we showcased how IJP OLED is now a mature, multi-product technology. 
A few key products really define this step forward. The world’s first Real Stripe RGB OLED MB Display (5.65") is a breakthrough. Achieving 390 PPI with a printing process effectively matches the visual clarity of a 490 PPI diamond-like pixel arrangement, finally bringing IJP OLED performance to the high-end smartphone segment.
The world’s first Foldable & Portable Display (28") marks another breakthrough. Featuring a tri‑fold design with a 1.8 mm folding radius and an ultra‑slim 4.48 mm profile, it folds down to a compact 16" size – comparable to a standard laptop – and expands into a 28" ultra‑wide immersive screen. With the world’s largest waterdrop hinge and multi‑angle hovering support, it delivers seamless transitions and a truly portable big‑screen experience.  
Today we also showcased our IJP OLED WQ 240Hz Gaming Display (16"): as the world’s first high-refresh-rate IJP OLED laptop display, it features an ultra-sharp 2.5K resolution, and a 100% DCI-P3 cinema-grade color gamut. This IJP OLED display achieves a breakthrough in combining top-tier visual performance with lightweight portability thanks to its ultra-thin encapsulation and a flexible display design - setting a new benchmark for premium mobile productivity and immersive entertainment.
From scaling mid-sized mass production to achieving small-sized 390 PPI precision, IJP OLED is ushering display technology into a new era. This progress reflects TCL CSOT’s enduring commitment to shaping the future form of display through continuous exploration and persistent innovation."


FlatpanelsHD: Regarding the 13.2" partitioned frequency OLED: My understanding is that it can dynamically adjust the refresh rate (Hz) in 2 or 3 partitions of the display at the same time, so for example a video in a window can refresh at 60Hz while the interface elements around the video window can refresh at 30Hz. Is this correctly understood? If so, are the partitions dynamically determined by the TCON or will the operating system (OS) if the consumer device need to be optimized specifically for this type of partitioned frequency driving? Is there a timeframe for mass production?

Ming-Jong Jou, Chief of the Technology Planning Center at TCL CSOT: "Yes, your understanding is correct. The highlight of this product is that the screen can automatically detect the content being played and adjust to the appropriate refresh rate. Previously, this technology was mostly applied in smartphones, but at DTC 2025 we are introducing it for the first time in tablet.

TCL CSOT has developed the world's first Partitioned Frequency Division OLED Tablet Display (13.2") featuring regional and multi-frequency refresh capabilities. With uniform 1.7 mm bezels on all four sides, the display measures 13.2", has a 3:2 aspect ratio, and delivers a 3.1K resolution (3120×2080), achieving an impressive 96% screen-to-body ratio.

Built on an advanced 8T LTPO backplane architecture, the display supports adaptive refresh rates from 1 Hz to 120 Hz across various usage scenarios – such as web browsing, text reading, and movie watching – all on the same screen at the same time. This dynamic adjustment helps reduce logic power consumption by 15% to 25%, offering both high performance and energy efficiency."


TCL CSOT did not answer FlatpanelsHD's question about the new "real" RGB-stripe OLED as compared to the 6.9-inch RGB OLED in the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max.