Samsung may launch a rollable OLED TV in the future to match LG's version as Samsung Display has begun development of a thinner, rollable QD-OLED panel, according to a report by The Elec.

The first-generation QD-OLED panel will show up soon in the Samsung S95B and Sony A95K models, but supplier Samsung Display is already developing a next-generation panel.

- Samsung Display has begun the development of a thinner version of its quantum dot (QD)-OLED panel," reported The Elec. "The aim is to reduce the use of glass substrates from the current two to one, sources said. If the South Korean display panel succeeds, the new version of QD-OLED will also be rollable, they said."


 The 1st-gen QD-OLED panel uses two glass layers; one at the back and one in the front. Photo: Samsung Display

You may recall that LG Electronics unveiled its first rollable OLED TV in 2019. It launched in 2020 as the wildly expensive $87,000 / €60000 RX model and was refreshed in 2021 as the R1 model, which will carry over into 2022. LG referred to it as a "turning point in TV history".

 Also read: First look: QD-OLED displays

The thinner QD-OLED panel would also allow Samsung Display to save costs on material and simplify the production process for QD-OLED, which is reportedly more complicated to produce than LG Display's WOLED.

Samsung Electronics in collaboration with Samsung Display launched their first OLED TV in 2012/13 but gave up on the project soon after due to low production yields, forcing Samsung Electronics to resort to plan B – QD-LCD or "QLED".

- Source: The Elec