Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on Sound & Video Contractor
According to Korean newspaper The Elec, this month will mark the first shipment of WOLED panels from LG to Samsung for a TV that is scheduled to be revealed later in the year. While the shipment is reportedly small, it seems that orders scheduled for next year will be much larger in quantity. Some are speculating that the panels being delivered are for an 83-inch OLED TV that will feature a LG Display WOLED panel. Based on a report by Business Korea, this TV is rumored to be announced around the time of IFA.
The Elec’s report also mentions that the ordered WOLED panels require special customization, meaning they must be manufactured at LG’s plant in Paju, South Korea–not overseas in China.
“Samsung has also requested that LG Display develop a WOLED TV panel under the specification it wants,” the report reads. “Sources said Samsung and LG Display are in near agreement that the panels will be 77-inch and 83-inch in size.”
The following was originally published May 17, 2023:
It looks like LG and Samsung’s multi-year negotiations have finally come to a close, as Reuters is reporting that the two tech powerhouses have signed a deal that will have LG supplying Samsung with WOLED panels. The two companies have been on-and-off negotiating over OLED panels since 2021, as panel production has wavered over the last several years.
According to the report, the deal will see LG supplying 2 million panels in 2024, 3 million in 2025, and 5 million in 2026. The panels will be of the 77-inch and 83-inch variety. While not set in stone, LG may begin supplying some number of panels this quarter.
The following was originally published April 18, 2023:
In 2022 reports surfaced that Korean tech giants LG and Samsung had halted negotiations on a purported major deal regarding OLED panels, with flatpanelshd quoting LG Display’s CFO as saying “Our new client (Samsung Electronics) had sought to use our OLED panels. While there had been some progress, the process has come to a halt at the moment.”
Now, The Elec has reported that the deal is back on. Furthermore, undisclosed sources are stating that LG Display could possibly supply up to 300,000 units of W-OLED panels to Samsung initially, which would allow Samsung to launch TVs utilizing the panels sometime next year.
The publication goes on to state that the reopening of negotiations is due to Samsung’s increasing reliance on Chinese display manufacturers that are excelling in LCD panels, as the company closed down its LCD manufacturing operations last year. With consumers being increasingly more interested in OLED displays, Samsung is looking to diversify its offerings.
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