Taiwan's major panel specialist Innolux is poised to wow the audiences at the upcoming Touch Taiwan 2024 by showcasing the industry's first color conversion MicroLED display technology alongside other pioneering MicroLED innovations and applications.
After fully embracing AI with the recent launch of the Galaxy S24 series flagship smartphones, Samsung Electronics unveiled its new lineup of Neo QLED, OLED, and Lifestyle series displays in Taiwan on April 17, where it also emphasized the advantages of AI in improving display performance and color rendering. By offering a more complete product line, Samsung hopes to take a leading sales position in the high-end display market and maintain double-digit growth for large-size TV sales in Taiwan in 2024.
E-paper solution provider E Ink Holdings (EIH) will showcase its strategic alliances in e-paper module production, IC design, and solar-powered systems, alongside its wide array of other e-paper solutions at the 2024 Touch Taiwan.
Despite the decline in the global TV market, market experts project that MiniLED TVs, given their cost-effectiveness, will surpass OLED TVs in shipment volume for the first time this year.
Samsung Display Vice President Kim Hyun Jae believes that AR/VR displays will trend from LCDs toward micro OLED and micro LED technologies as the market for metaverse applications continues to grow. Samsung Display will focus on micro LEDs for AR applications, while micro OLEDs will primarily be used for VR/MR displays.
Global shipments for gaming PCs suffered the same fate as the overall PC market in 2023 with the gaming category declining 13.2% year-on-year to 44 million units for 2024. However, gaming monitors were able to buck the trend as lower pricing helped drive volume and resulted in gaming monitors growing 20.3% during the year, according to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Gaming Tracker.
HiSilicon (Shanghai) Technologies showcased new chip and terminal device solutions for smart homes, displays, and the Internet of Things (IoT) at the recent Appliance & Electronics World Expo (AWE) in Shanghai.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI technology, BenQ Taiwan's General Manager, Steve Yang, commends the continued advancement of AI applications within a year but notes that there remains a notable distance between these advancements and their integration into end products.
As global geopolitical tension, economic instability, and persistent inflation affected the recovery of consumer products, Coretronic's shipments and revenue declined in 2023. However, the commencement of mass production at its second Vietnamese factory in February is expected to boost the business this year, and more significant growth is expected in 2025. Overall, since some of Coretronic's projects would only officially commence in the fourth quarter of this year, a stronger growth momentum is anticipated in 2025.
Taiwan-based display giants AUO and Innolux have stepped up their non-display business deployment. AUO has seen a 20% increase in revenue from its vertical business solutions, and Innolux has set up various programs to shift its workforce to more non-display talents.
The Semiconductor Equipment Association Japan (SEAJ) released its January 2024 report, projecting a 25% decline to JPY321.1 billion (US$2.2 billion) in Japan's Flat Panel Display (FPD) manufacturing equipment sales for the fiscal 2023 (April 2023-March 2024). This reduction is attributed to diminished investments by panel manufacturers in large-scale projects.
As cargo ships bound for Europe continue to take the long route around Africa to avoid potential dangers in the Red Sea, manufacturers have adjusted their strategies to account for increased shipping costs and delays. In particular, some manufacturers have been actively placing early orders for TV panels in anticipation of the upcoming Euro 2024 football competition and the Paris Olympics, and panel makers have been using this as leverage in price negotiations during the traditional off-season.
Innovation in display products has always been a focal point at the annual CES event. Looking back at CES 2024, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics stood out with their transparent displays and eye-catching 360-degree foldable panels. Various automotive displays from Taiwanese, Chinese, and South Korean manufacturers showcased the diverse possibilities for the future TV, mobile, and automotive panel markets.
Panel manufacturers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait plan to reduce production significantly during the Lunar New Year, encouraging a price rebound. This scheme has prompted white-box TV suppliers and second-tier TV brands to increase their order volumes while panel prices are still low. Industry experts predict increased utilization rates at panel factories due to this order surge but warn that this could lead to a less robust peak season.
TCL CSOT CEO and COO Zhao Jun talked about automotive display tech breakthroughs and inkjet-printed OLED progress in an exclusive interview during CES 2024.