IHS iSuppli has reported the total shipments of small-
and medium-sized display (SMD) panels used in products including
mobile handsets, tablets and digital still cameras reached
186.8 million units in February, up 9 percent from 171.3
million units in January.
The market research highlights shared by IHS on AMOLED
display panels are below:
The increase brought to an end four straight months of
shipment declines that started in October 2011, as shown
in the figure below.
IHS defines SMDs as displays sized smaller than 10 inches
diagonally.
A rise in demand for AMOLED displays, coupled with increased
orders from Chinese vendors, helped prevent what could have
been a decline in shipments for the overall SMD market during
a traditionally slow month for the market. AMOLED displays,
lighter in weight and featuring more saturated colors compared
to traditional LCD panels, have been gaining popularity
in smartphones, with companies like Samsung Electronics,
Nokia Corp. and HTC Corp. all selling mobile handsets that
feature AMOLED displays.
Worldwide shipments of AMOLED mobile handset displays are
expected to increase sequentially by 14 percent in the first
quarter of this year and by 80 percent compared to the same
time a year ago.
The displays are set to gain further traction in the SMD
space this year as the panels are adopted by other applications,
like tablet PCs.
"Long considered a nascent technology, AMOLED is coming
of age in 2012, with strong demand for the display from
Android-based smartphones helping to drive the growth of
the overall LCD-dominated SMD market," said Vinita
Jakhanwal, director for small & medium displays at IHS.
"Display manufacturers are increasing their AMOLED
manufacturing, making the new technology more available
and allowing it to proliferate across a range of smartphone
models from various brands."
Samsung Leads the AMOLED Race: Samsung Mobile Display Co.
currently drives the AMOLED market, because it has the largest
manufacturing capacity.
The company's main competitor is LG Display Co., although
LG Display recently redirected its AMOLED focus away from
mobile handsets toward the TV market. Meanwhile, Taiwanese
and Chinese suppliers are working to improve their competitive
positioning in hopes of catching up with Samsung and LG
in AMOLED production.
Taiwanese supplier AU Optronics Corp. is making particularly
strong progress, with likely orders from handset manufacturer
HTC and Sony. AU Optronics is expected to start shipping
small volumes of AMOLED displays starting in the second
quarter, and is apparently planning for AMOLED production
at a sixth-generation fab. Fellow Taiwanese manufacturer
ChiMei Innolux Corp. is also anticipated to start AMOLED
panel production sometime this year. All told, Taiwan's
success in the AMOLED display market will be dependent on
the capability of its suppliers to obtain orders from top-tier
smartphone makers like Nokia, HTC and Sony.
AMOLED Prices Rise Along with Specifications
In mobile phones, AMOLED prices increased 0.9 percent to
an average of $54 in February, due to the introduction of
new higher-specification AMOLED displays. A price premium
of 15 to 20 percent is still commanded by AMOLED displays
over comparable low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) LCD displays
with touch capabilities. For example, a 4.3-inch QHD "Super"
AMOLED display for mobile phones with an integrated on-cell
touch solution, boasting QHD resolution at 960 by 540 pixels,
was priced at $51 in January.
Meanwhile, a comparable LTPS LCD plus projected capacitive
touch solution together had a total price of $42. The current
limited supply of AMOLEDs-along with the distinct advantage
of the on-cell touch solution provided by Super AMOLED displays-is
helping AMOLEDs maintain their price premium in the market.
In tablets, total average panel prices retreated 0.4 percent
to reach $48.87, down from the January average of $49.06.
AMOLED tablet displays, meanwhile, stayed at about $100.
LG and Samsung remain the pre-eminent suppliers for the
tablet PC display market-their dominance due to high capacity
and their capability to provide reliable shipments to Apple
for its iPad, to Amazon for its Kindle, and to Samsung Electronics
for its Galaxy Tab.
Author: Srinivasa Reddy N
