2019-2029: The Global Rise of Flexible and Foldable Displays

It was predicted that in 2018, the OLED industry would be worth $25.5 billion, rising to $30.3 billion in 2019. Over $15 billion was invested in the OLED display industry from 2016 to 2018 with panel makers mainly based in China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

These investment are coming from the need to differentiate products with better screens and new form factors, with plastic based OLEDs becoming the norm (in rigid format) leading to truly flexible OLED displays – foldable displays being the first commercial example of that, expected in 2019.

OLEDs for cellphones dominate the OLED sector, comprising of 81% of the market revenue in 2018. The second largest sector is OLED TVs which were 16% of the total market by revenue in 2018. Despite being 16% of the revenue, OLED TVs are 40% of the market by area of display. Therein is the challenge for larger area displays – cellphones have smaller displays and can command premium margins, but larger devices (including tablets) typically have lower price points and lower margins but need larger, more expensive screens (albeit with lower resolution). The third largest OLED application is wearables, which was 2% of the total OLED display market value and 0.4% by area in 2018. The thinness, flexibility and appearance of the display are desirable versus LCDs.

IDTechEx Research released its OLED Display Forecasts and Technologies 2019-2029: The Global Rise of Flexible and Foldable Displays report, which includes analysis and detailed forecasts by market segment and display type, with additional assessment of Quantum Dot Displays, E-Paper Displays and other Flexible Displays. The report provides a comprehensive assessment of OLED display technologies and markets in addition to the progress with other emerging display technologies including quantum dots and electrophoretic displays.

Historic data for 2017 is provided as a reference in addition to forecasts to 2029. Data includes OLED displays split by application and area and value.

Analysis and Forecasts of OLED Markets to 2029

Detailed trends, supplier information and market forecasts are provided on a global basis for the following applications of OLED displays:

• Cellphones
• Tablet and Computers
• TV
• Automotive
• Wearable
• Industrial and Professional Equipment
• MICRO OLED
• Other: Gaming Consoles, Cameras, Appliances, Other Consumer Electronics

The data and forecasts given are the result of extensive research including interviews with key providers of OLED materials, manufacturing equipment, panel makers and OEMs. For each of the applications above IDTechEx provides detailed assessments of the markets including the technology requirements, technology roadmap and the impact of competitive technologies, which all feed into the forecasting model.

OLED Technologies Appraised – Processes, Unmet Needs, Roadmaps

The report also assesses each of the main layers of OLED displays including substrates, thin film transistors (TFTs), materials, barrier layers, transparent conductive film and manufacturing processes.

Latest Activities of OLED Companies

Some major OLED panel makers/display providers covered include:

• Samsung
• LG Display
• AUO, Sony
• JOLED
• BOE
• CSOT
• EverDisplay (EDO)
• Tianma
• Visionox
• Skyworth

Quantum Dot Displays

In assessing the display industry, OLED Display Forecasts and Technologies 2019-2029: The Global Rise of Flexible and Foldable Displays also covers the advancement of Quantum Dot Displays in different guises of

• Edge Optic
• Film Type
• Color Filter
• On Chip
• Emissive

For the full report, click here.