Korean Media: The OLED Battle Between China and South Korea Has Begun, BOE Seizes the Initiative!

On January 28, the Korean media outlet "Herald Economic" published an article stating that the Chinese display company BOE is preparing to start the next-generation organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel production line in advance to seize market opportunities. Samsung Display, the world's leading smartphone OLED panel manufacturer, is also preparing to achieve mass production this year, and it is expected that both sides will engage in fierce competition.

According to industry insiders, BOE held a lighting ceremony for its 8.6th generation OLED production line located in Chengdu on the 30th of last month and began trial production.

This is about five months earlier than the original plan. The first 8.6th generation OLED production line of BOE in China has a total investment of 63 billion yuan. This factory will produce high-end OLED displays for smart devices such as notebook computers and tablet computers.

Analysts believe that BOE's early production schedule is aimed at winning the title of "Number One" among global panel manufacturers.

The 8.6th generation OLED uses larger glass substrates than previous generations. Larger substrates can produce more panels, thus reducing costs and increasing profits.

For example, with a 14.3-inch tablet panel, existing 6th generation equipment can produce 4.5 million pieces per year, while upgrading to the 8th generation equipment will increase the annual output to 10 million pieces.

In recent years, as more IT devices such as smartphones and notebook computers have shifted toward OLED, expanding production capacity has become crucial for display companies.

Samsung Display also plans to mass-produce 8.6th generation OLED panels this year.

The company invested 4.1 trillion won in the Yesan complex to build a factory with a monthly capacity of 15,000 panels. This factory is scheduled to begin mass production as early as the second quarter of this year.

Because both Samsung Display and BOE regard Apple as a client, mass-producing 8.6th generation OLED panels is crucial for expanding their market share in Apple products. Apple plans to adopt 8.6th generation OLED panels in its new MacBook models in 2026.

LG Display is also expected to join the competition as a later entrant. Although the company had been cautious about investing in the 8.6th generation OLED in the past, it has recently reconsidered the investment due to improvements in OLED performance, according to reports.

LG Display achieved an operating profit of 43.1 billion won in the third quarter of last year, marking its first profit in four years. Currently, LG Display is focusing on business transformation, with a strong emphasis on developing OLED technology.

LG Display CEO Jeong Jea-dong once stated that the possibility of investing in the 8.6th generation production line "exists in the medium to long term."

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855560732160010/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.