UBI Research estimates that the volume of OLED emitting materials purchased in Q3 2024 reached 32.7 tons, which is the highest ever, with the previous record in 2021. UBI expects 2024 as a whole to be the record year in OLED emitter material shipments.

In terms of customers, SDC holds the largest share with 41.4% of the total market, followed by LGD (20.5%), BOE (11.6%) and Visionox (8.3%). In terms of architecture, 83.7% of all emitter materials went into RGB OLEDs, 11.3% into WOLED (LG's WRGB) panels and 2.8% into QD-OLED panels.

A few weeks ago it was reported that Apple is aiming to develop a lower-cost VR headset, and will want to use cheaper OLED microdisplays to replace the high-end Sony OLED microdisplays used in the Vision Pro. It was reported that both Samsung and JDI are in talks with Apple, that aims to achieve a pixel density of 1500 PPI (the Sony microdisplays sport 3,400 PPI). Samsung meanwhile develops its own headsets, and is also working on solutions for other leading companies, such as Microsoft.

A 1.3" 12000 nits OLED microdisplay (Samsung Display)

While Samsung is working on an OLED on silicon microdisplay factory, the company is also looking to start producing high resolution AMOLED displays on glass. According to a new report, Samsung is now looking to build a new AMOLED on glass microdisplay pilot production line in Asan, and later on the company is considering to converts its 5.5-Gen (1300x1500 mm) A2 OLED production line to produce OLED microdisplays. Samsung will have to modify its production process and install new equipment to support the high resolution. The company reportedly aims to order the required  equipment in 2025.

In 2022, we reported that US- and China-based OLED display maker Royole is in financial problems. The company did not manage to raise funds, and started laying-off many of its employees, following several months it did not pay any wages. The company is no longer in business.

Earlier today Royle started a public auction to sell off its assets. The company is using he public Taobao's Ali Asset Platform, and have asked a starting price of 1.23 billion yuan (almost $170 million USD). As of now, there are no bids for the asset, which includes 12 real estate properties and the OLED production equipment. If the auction fails, Royole will likely launch another auction with a reduced starting price.

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC and the Beijing Information Science and Technology University (BISTU), have developed a new strategy for the design of deep red MR-TADF OLED emitters, that offers high efficiency, good color emission and long lifetimes. 

The researchers report they have developed a new deep red (0.657,0343 CIE) OLED emitter material that achieves high efficiency, over 43% EQE, which they say is the most efficient MR-TADF red emitter.

Mitsubishi Chemical has disclosed that it has long been developing Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithms (QAOA) for the development of advanced OLED emitter materials. One of the main challenges in this route has been that calculation accuracy that could not be guaranteed due to the accumulation of noise that affected the state of the quantum computer. 

Mitsubishi Chemical has thus teamed up with Deloitte Tohmatsu and Classiq to compress the two quantum circuits used by Mitsubishi Chemical. The three companies managed to demonstrate up to 97% compression in the size of the first circuit and up to 54% on the second circuit. This dramatic compression will enable more accurate calculations as it mitigates the risk of errors during calculation. 

Researchers from the the University of Michigan developed a new class of phosphorescence OLED emitters that do not contain heavy metals. The metal was replaced with a new hybrid material. The researchers collaborated with colleagues from Inha University, and Sungkyunkwan University.

In current phosphorescence  OLEDs, the emitters include a heavy metal, in most cases either iridium or platinum. These heavy metals generate a magnetic field that forces the same spin direction excited electron to turn quickly, resulting in faster light emission as it returns to its ground state. The researchers replaced the heavy metal with a 2D layer of molybdenum and sulfur near a similarly thin layer of the organic light emitting material, achieving the same effect by physical proximity without any chemical bonding. 

UBI Research says that shipments of small OLED panels rose to 247 million units, up 7.8% from the previous quarter (and up 32.6% from Q3 2023), mainly driven by increase in shipments by LG Display and Everdisplay.

LG Display shipped 17.6 million smartphones panels in the quarter, up 64% from Q2 and 12.2 million wearable OLED panels (up 147%) - thanks to strong shipments to Apple. In total LGD's AMOLED shipments grew 74% quarter to quarter, and 115% from last year. UBI expects LGD to continue and increase its shipments in Q4. The company is almost at full capacity and UBI says the company may decide to expand the capacity at one of its existing 6-Gen fabs.

UBI Research says that Samsung Display's medium and large OLED panel shipments in Q3 2024 were the same as in the previous quarter. Shipments of tablet OLED devices were low, but this was offset by increased sales of automotive displays. Compared to 2023, total medium and large OLED panel shipments more than doubled, mainly due to increased sales of tablet panels to Apple, and increased laptop OLED shipments.

UBI estimates that SDC's tablet PC sales decreased by 38% compared to the previous quarter. Automotive OLED shipments rose from 100,000 units in Q1 2024 to around 500,000 in Q3. 

There is an interesting (but unverified) report out of Korea that Apple has chosen Tianma to be its exclusive OLED display supplier for a next-generation HomePod smart speaker device, the first one with a display. The OLED HomePod will be released in 2025.

Rumors about a HomePod with a display started surfacing last year, then suggesting that the display will be a 7-inch LCD, indeed supplied by Tianma. But these new rumors suggests that Apple has opted for a higher-quality LTPS AMOLED display, sized 6.7-inch.

According to Omdia, Korea regained the top position in the AMOLED market in Q2 2024, after China surpassed Korea in Q1 2024 for the first time.

Omdia says that both Samsung Display and LG Display enjoyed increased sales of high-end AMOLED displays for IT devices (laptops and tablets), and held a market share of 49.9% in Q2 2024, while Chinese OLED makers (Visionox, BOE, Everdisplay, Tianma and CSoT) held a market share of 49%.