Samsung OLED production is likely to see dramatically increased demand as Apple makes the shift to OLED iPads and MacBooks – and has won government support for a $3B investment in its manufacturing capacity for the panels.
We’re expecting the next product to make the shift from LCD and mini-LED to be an iPad Pro, in the first half of next year …
Background
We’ve talked before about Apple’s display roadmap. This began with IPS LCD with conventional backlighting, which is still used in older Macs and cheaper iPhones.
Next up was IPS LCD with miniLED backlighting. Apple switched to this for iPad Pro models, and is now using it in the new MacBook Pro.
OLED is gradually transitioning from smaller screens to larger ones. Apple first adopted OLED in the Apple Watch before bringing it to the iPhone, starting with the iPhone X. The company has not yet used this in either iPads or MacBooks, but is expected to begin this process next year.
Apple gave the go-ahead for work to begin on the project back in January, which is expected to use more advanced OLED tech than competing brands. Samsung is likely to be the main supplier, with LG also picking up orders – and China’s BOE lagging behind.
Samsung OLED production to get $3B investment
Reuters reports that Samsung is prepping for Apple’s continuing transition to OLED with a major investment in its display panel manufacturing capabilities.
Samsung Display plans to invest 4.1 trillion won ($3.14 billion) until 2026 in Asan, South Korea to make advanced organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panels used in tablets and computers, the trade ministry said on Tuesday.
Samsung had previously announced a massive long-term development plan for the chipmaking side of its business, amounting to around $230B over 20 years.
The chipmaking investment is confirmed to have government support in the form of additional tax-breaks for the company. It isn’t known for sure whether extra government support will be offered for Samsung’s OLED plans, but it is notable that the brief report says the investment was announced by the South Korean government, rather than by the company itself.
We’re expecting to see an OLED iPad Pro in the first half of next year. Apple is also reportedly working on an OLED MacBook Air, with more advanced versions of the display tech planned for the MacBook Pro.
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