Samsung

Samsung Display is showing a range of new OLED and microLED display prototypes at Displayweek 2025, and it also unveiled a new cadmium-free QD-EL device, which uses quantum dots as the emissive materials. The latest prototype from Samsung offers a 264 PPI resolution and 400 nits of brightness. 

Samsung says that this panel has the highest luminance among all QD-EL prototypes disclosed to date. Samsung says that it managed to dramatically increase the lifetime of the blue QD emitting material.

According to Counterpoint Research (DSCC), Quantum Dots film and diffuser plate sales grew 42% in 2024, driven by demand from QD-LCD and MiniLED TVs. In the notebook segment, revenues grew 228%, mostly due to Apple's first adoption of QDs in MacBook Pro devices.

Counterpoint expects revenues to continue rising, and in 2025 the growth is forecasted to be 27.5% from 2024. The company acknowledges that the US tariffs and trade war may curb demand for premium displays, and Counterpoint has no clear visibility on that issue. 

According to reports from Korea, Samsung Electronics has decided to accelerate the development of its QD-EL display technology. Working together with its affiliate companies, Samsung aims to commercialize QD-EL displays within the next few year.

The reports suggests that Samsung Electronics is working closely with SAIT (Samsung's advanced research institute) and Samsung Display. QD-EL displays are similar to OLED displays, but they use quantum dots as the emitter material. This is the first display technology that uses the QD's electroluminescence, rather than the photoluminescence, used in color conversion for QD-LCDs, QD-powered microLEDs, and QD-OLEDs.

Samsung Display announced that it has developed a new technology that can recover around 80% of the quantum dots ink used in its QD-OLED production process. The recovered inks is refined through advanced synthesis technology that revives its purity and optical properties. The company will apply this technology, to its process and it is expected to save around 10 billion Won (around $7.3 million USD) each year in QD materials cost.

It turns out that even though the QD layers are inkjet printed, there is still significant waste of materials, as around 20% of the total QD ink used in the process remains in the nozzles and cannot be used. This new technology will enable SDC to make its QD-OLED panels more competitive with other large-area panel technologies.

During Displayweek 2024, Samsung demonstrated its latest display prototypes, focusing mostly on flexible OLEDs, and QD-OLEDs.

The company also showed a 18.2" 3200x1800 (202 PPI) 250 nits QD-EL display, that was produced using an inkjet-printing process, based on cadmium-free QDs.

Samsung Display recently decided to move around 500 engineers from its large-area QD-OLED business unit to its small-and-medium sized AMOLED business unit. This move could signal a change in SDC's confidence in its QD-OLED technology.

A new article at OLED-Info discusses the technology and market challenges of QD-OLEDs, the recent activities in the display industry and market - and states that Samsung may be not invest further in its QD-OLED technology.

DSCC says that the demand for QD materials in the display industry is growing, and the market will grow to $100 million in 2024. It will continue to grow and reach $122 million in 2027. 

The main application is in LCD displays (color conversion), but materials used in QD-OLED's (by Samsung Display) is growing and accounts for 31% of the market (in the chart above DSCC notes QD-OLEDs as QD-CC). Production of QD-OLED panels is limited (SDC's total capacity is for around 2 million panels per year) but the material usage is large compared to QD-LCDs.

During CES 2024, several device makers announced new TVs and monitors based on Samsung Display's QD-OLED panels. It seems as if market acceptance for SDC's high-end QD panels is on the rise:

• Samsung Odyssey 2024 gaming monitors (27" 1440p 360Hz / 32" 4K 240Hz / 49" 5120x1440 240Hz QD-OLED
• Samsung S95D, S90D, S85D (QD-OLED and WOLED TVs)
• Gigabyte AORUS 2024 QD-OLED monitors (27", 31.5", 34" QD-OLEDs)
• HP Omen Transcend 32 gaming monitor (32" 240Hz 4K QD-OLED)
• Dell Alienware AW2725DF / AW3225QF monitors (27", 32" QD-OLEDs)