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Oct 1, 16:35
China ramps up Micro OLED capacity ahead of proven smart glasses demand
As smart glasses draw growing market attention, Chinese suppliers including BOE, SeeYA Technology and Sidtek are expanding Micro OLED production. Display industry sources caution, however, that demand for the panels remains uncertain and that capacity coming online ahead of proven demand could leave the market oversupplied.
China's BOE is supplying the panel for LG Electronics' 27-inch UltraGear evo 27GM950B, putting the display maker's technology in one of LG's premium gaming monitors as BOE expands its push into higher-resolution and ultra-high-refresh-rate displays.

Bright LED Electronics said its core profit rebounded in the first half of 2026, helped by recovering printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) demand and a better product mix. The LED packaging maker expects second-half performance to be roughly in line with the first half, while seeing growth momentum extend into 2027.

LG Display has scrapped the planned sale of its automotive LCD module business in Nanjing, China, to Top Run Total Solution after the companies failed to reach a final agreement on transaction terms, derailing a plan to shift the operation from in-house production to outsourcing.

The commercial adoption of Micro LED display technology is facing another major setback. Just one year after making waves with the world's first commercial Micro LED smartwatch, Garmin has dropped the technology from its latest lineup. The newly announced Fenix 9 series, unveiled in August 2026, uses AMOLED and memory-in-pixel (MiP) solar display options instead, highlighting the persistent technical and economic hurdles facing Micro LED deployment.

India's Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is investigating LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics over whether they underpaid import duties on display parts for OLED televisions, Reuters reported on September 23, citing five unnamed sources. The probe puts a tariff classification question at the center of a premium TV segment both South Korean companies are counting on to grow in India.

The global automotive display market is entering a new phase of growth, with demand shifting away from central consoles and instrument clusters toward niche applications such as head-up displays (HUDs) and front-passenger entertainment panels. DIGITIMES Intelligence analyst Jason Yang said the global automotive display shipment compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is expected to reach only about 2.4% from 2026 to 2031, but HUDs and entertainment panels will grow 14.4% and 17.9%, respectively.

Samsung Display is evaluating a new manufacturing process known as halftone black pixel definition layer (PDL) that could streamline the production of its OLED panels, industry sources disclosed to The ELEC on September 22. By integrating two separate manufacturing steps into a single photolithography process, the display maker aims to reduce costs and boost efficiency for upcoming flagship devices.

South Korean display makers, long dominant in the global smartphone OLED market, remain hesitant to commit to mass production of OLED-on-silicon (OLEDoS) displays, an essential component for personal AI platforms such as smart glasses and extended reality (XR) headsets. As Chinese and Japanese rivals aggressively expand capacity and secure customer wins, industry observers warn that South Korea risks losing its foothold in next-generation displays in the AI era.

Apple has reportedly pushed back plans to add new display technologies to the iPhone model expected in 2027, which marks the product line's 20th anniversary. According to ET News, the change affects panel makers that had already lined up equipment upgrades and investment for the upgrade cycle.
Aiming to meet demand for high-speed gaming displays, LG Display (LGD) said it has begun mass production of a 24.5-inch gaming OLED panel with a 720Hz refresh rate. The panel will debut in a new Asus monitor chosen as the official screen for the global esports event PGL CS2 Major Singapore 2026.
Chinese AMOLED material suppliers are poised to gain market share as new 8G OLED fabs expand capacity in China. The shift could reshape supply chains for global display buyers, while also accelerating global demand for materials used in notebooks, premium panels, and future OLED Macs.