Samsung, LG unveil new OLED tech to widen gap with Chinese runner-ups

Samsung Display's Flex Hybrid OLED panel, which combines foldable and slidable functions, is displayed at the K-Display 2024 exhibition in Seoul, Wednesday. (Samsung Electronics)

The nation's top two display-makers, Samsung Display and LG Display, unveiled Wednesday their latest cutting-edge organic light-emitting diode display technologies involving artificial intelligence and new form factors, in an apparent move to widen the gap with their Chinese runner-ups.

At the K-Display Industry trade show taking place in Seoul this week, Korea Display Industry Association Chairman Choi Joo-sun underscored how Korean display-makers will keep ahead of Chinese rivals in the cutting-edge OLED market with "unique and high-quality products."

"We will make sure to stand ahead in the competition with China by introducing differentiated and premium products in the OLED market," said Choi, who is also the chief executive officer of Samsung Display.

According to market tracker Omdia, Korea was positioned as No. 2 in the global OLED market by shipments in the first quarter of this year, with a market share of 49 percent. China took the largest market share by shipments at 49.7 percent.

Choi underscored that the combined sales of Korean display-makers is "still bigger" than Chinese firms.

At the exhibition, Samsung set up its booth under the theme of "Journey into AI: OLED Leaps," with 42 types of new products on display, from the 1.5-inch circular OLED panel to multifoldable OLED and giant OLED panels.

At the exhibition, the display-maker demonstrated its flexible display panels, including Flex In & Out, which can bend 360 degrees, and Flex S, which can be folded twice, both inwards and outwards, into an S shape. Flex Hybrid, which combines both the capabilities of a foldable and a slidable, was also on display.

At the Round Lab section of the showroom, Samsung introduced various new concept products with round OLED panels the company developed for the first time in the world.

The products include a smart key and smart headphones using the company's 1.5-inch round OLED panel, the Cling Band which facilitates a 6.2-inch flexible OLED panel and a smart speaker with a 7.6-inch flexible OLED panel.

The display giant also unveiled the OLED on Silicon technology, which is a core technology for extended reality headsets, at the exhibition.

Samsung said it developed the industry's first 1.3-inch OLEDoS panel with ultrahigh brightness of 12,000 nits, using White-OLED technology. On a coin-sized display, the company featured 4,000 pixels per inch, equivalent to 4K resolution.

"We are glad to have introduced innovative technologies and ideas leading the display industry's future at K-Display 2024, the country's biggest display exhibition," a Samsung official said.

"We have displayed new technologies that will create new opportunities in the AI and gaming sectors, and also prepared various programs to offer hands-on experiences for visitors."

LG Display's 18-inch Slidable OLED and 57-inch pillar-to-pillar LCD screens are installed inside an autonomous vehicle concept car at the K-Display 2024 exhibition in Seoul, Wednesday. (LG Display)

LG Display showcased its latest OLED panels that have been made bigger and optimal for automotive infotainment displays at its booth set up under the theme of "A Better Future."

Showcasing the large OLED display panels, LG introduced an 83-inch OLED TV panel that has been made with new technology it has developed for the past decade, dubbed Meta Technology 2.0.

With cutting-edge technology, LG has increased the screen brightness by 42 percent and made the new panel the brightest among existing OLED TV displays, featuring 3,000 nits at maximum.

The company also introduced the Advanced Thin OLED panel for cars, now 20 percent thinner than existing glass panels. The panel has been made with a high resolution and at a reasonable price, the company said. The 17-inch ATO can display various vehicle information and allows easy access to different functions for the driver.

The industry's biggest automotive panel, LG's 57-inch Pillar-to-Pillar liquid crystal display, can also be seen inside a concept car. The automotive panel is high definition with exceptional touch responsiveness thanks to LG's proprietary In-Cell Touch technology, the company explained.

By Jo He-rim(herim@heraldcorp.com)