Samsung Display has reportedly committed to expanding production of its new QD-OLED display panels and will add 49-inch and 77-inch sizes to its portfolio in 2023, according to a report by the Korean website Chosun Biz.
The report cites the research firm DSCC as saying that the company plans to “strengthen its portfolio” with the new display sizes.
At present, QD-OLED television displays are only available in 55-inch and 65-inch sizes, as seen on the new Samsung S95B and Sony A95K TV models. Samsung Display will expand its size options by employing a multi-model glass production technique that will allow it to cut different sized panels from a single 8.5G substrate, similar to what LG Display does with its White OLED panels.
QD-OLED is a new kind of display technology that debuted this year. It’s a hybrid that incorporates the Quantum Dots used in Samsung’s QLED TVs with the OLED technology pioneered by LG.
By offering more QD-OLED panel sizes, Samsung Display hopes that the technology will appeal to more TV manufacturers and help it to claim some of the OLED market share from LG Display. Samsung Electronics and Sony are the only two companies currently selling QD-OLED TVs. TCL had previously expressed an interest in the technology but FlatPanelsHD said the company is no longer planning to launch QD-OLED TVs. Panasonic is said to be evaluating the technology, so we might see QD-OLED TVs from it appear by next year.
In comparison, LG Display sells its OLED panels to more than 20 TV brands worldwide.
The first QD-OLED TV to go on sale is Samsung’s S95B, which has been made available for pre-order in the UK. It’s priced at £2,399 for the 55-inch model and £3,299 for the 65-inch version. It is already shipping in the U.S., and HDTVTest was one of the first recipients after paying through the nose to import it into the UK.
Sony’s A95K TV is also available to pre-order in Europe, priced at €3,050 (around £2,550) for the 55-inch version and €4,050 (around £3,400) for the 65-inch model.
Last week, a report from Korea emerged that suggests Samsung Display is working on a way to develop thinner QD-OLED panels. The report said it has ambitions to create more flexible displays, including a possible rival to LG’s pricey rollable OLED television.
