According to foreign media reports, Samsung Display has obvious advantages in the OLED screens used in smartphones. The OLED screens required by Apple iPhone X and iPhone Xs series are exclusively supplied by Samsung Display until the iPhone 12 series launched last year. LG Display just started to join.
It is understood that in addition to the smart phone field, Samsung Display is also expanding the application range of OLED panels to the notebook computer field. They are already producing notebook computer OLED screens and plan to build a new production line to increase production capacity.
At the same time, in response to market demand for IT products, Samsung Display plans to build a notebook OLED production line in the Asan A4 factory in Chungnam City. The production line is planned to have a monthly production capacity of 30,000 glass substrates, mainly producing 18-inch to 20-inch OLED panels for notebook computers. Samsung Display will order notebook computer OLED production equipment in the A4 factory this summer.
At present, the 6th generation flexible OLED production line of the A4 factory has a monthly production capacity of 30,000 pieces. The factory was originally called the L7-1 production line when it first produced the 7th generation LCD panels, and it was converted to an OLED production line in 2018. The new OLED production line will be located in the spare area of A4.
It is reported that the equipment orders on the new production line will be shipped as soon as this summer, and the time for equipment placement will have to wait until at least early 2022. Once the equipment is installed, the new production line is not expected to take too long to increase output.
It is understood that Samsung Display expects that this year's notebook computer OLED sales will increase more than five times year-on-year. In order to meet the growing downstream demand, major panel manufacturers have begun to accelerate the construction of OLED production lines. In addition to Samsung, domestic companies such as BOE, Tianma and Visionox are also accelerating the layout of OLED production lines. Data show that 25 AMOLED production lines have been built, 3 production lines are under construction, and 2 are planned. With the acceleration of OLED production line construction, related industry chain companies benefited.