[The Korea Industry Post, Nov, 8. 2015(=Seoul)]

Apple decided to adopt AM OLED in their mobile devices for the first time. And Apple’s breakaway act will make AM OLED the center of future mobile display market.

If AM OLED gradually replaces original display of high-end smartphones, LCD will be only taking roles in large display markets like PC and TV.

From Samsung to Apple, AM OLED syndrome

AM OLED had not much penetrance in the market as expected because Samsung was almost the only one that adopted AM OLED among major smartphone companies. Other companies like Motorola, Nokia, and Lenovo applied AM OLED in few models, but the sales weren’t big enough to contribute to AM OLED market expansion.

Still, Samsung Electronics are increasing their smartphone models with AM OLED as display. For the first time they applied AM OLED in middle priced models ‘Galaxy A’ and ‘Galaxy E’. And in next year, AM OLED is planned to be adopted in cheap smartphones like ‘Galaxy J’ and ‘Galaxy Z’. Eventually, Samsung Electronics will use AM OLED for all of their smartphone.

If Apple also starts to produce AM OLED smartphones, adding to Samsung’s AM OLED blitz, AM OLED becoming center of mobile display market is just a time matter.

Yet, on what smartphone model will Apple apply AM OLED display is not known.

However, assuming that they have been adhering to little number of model’s mass-production strategy, Apple will order for large quantity of AM OLED supply from the beginning.

Emerge of Foldable Devices also influence OLED

Foldable devices of Samsung Electronics, which would be released in 2016 at the earliest, will also act as trigger of increasing AM OLED popularity in mobile market.

Samsung Electronics is currently weighing the optimum schedule for releasing mobile device that folds into half (additional reference <>). To keep up with the schedule, Samsung Display is also speeding up with establishing additional flexible AM OLED production lines.

Apple’s first AM OLED smartphone and actions like reviewing foldable devices as their next product will move up the release date of Samsung Electronics foldable devices.

Shortened release schedule is predicted because Samsung Electronics always had put great effort to at least maintain the lead in hardware technology. To not lose the leadership in hardware field, Samsung will not make the situation where Apple take first fire in foldable device field.

The steps of AM OLED penetrating and settling in the electronics filed is similar to the case of LED in the past. LED application was expanded from mobile phone to laptop and then to monitor and TV market as brightness (lumen) per unit watt (W) increased. It only took 5years till ‘LED TV’, which was released by Samsung Electronics with using BLU (back light unit) technology in 2009, fully replaced the original CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamp).

Also, cost-reduction also contributed the recent AM OLED expansion. AM OLED will soon dominate in the display market if more mobile companies select it, and Samsung Display and LG Display establishes and adds more facilities more production.

Industry official said “AM OLED will be first applied mainly in high-end mobile devices, then medium-low, and then in large display market.”

by KIPOST Brian Ahn ahngija@kipost.net

translated by Taegeun Kim ktg1130@kipost.net