Remember the claim made by an analyst that Samsung will exit the smartphone market in 5 years? Here’s a new piece of evidence that shows the 5-year claim to be far from the truth. Over double the number of mobile display panels shipped in Q3 2015 as opposed to a year earlier, with 79 million mobile display panels shipped in the Q3. Panel shipments were up 35% from Q2, in part due to Samsung’s own Galaxy Note 5 (August 13th) and Gear S2 smartwatch (September) product unveils. Both Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 and Gear S2 smartwatch boast AMOLED displays, however, and Samsung’s decision to go with AMOLED has led to an increase in AMOLED panel shipments. Of the 79 million mobile display shipments in the quarter, AMOLED panels counted for 18%.
The increase in AMOLED display production has much to do with Samsung, whose affiliate, Samsung Display, has produced the AMOLED displays that have powered Samsung Electronics’ own Galaxy-branded devices, and Samsung will have an even bigger role in AMOLED display production in the next few years. The largest new rumor surrounding AMOLED displays concerns Samsung’s Cupertino rival Apple Inc., who is rumored to consider substituting its tried-and-true LCD panels for AMOLED displays in 2018 when the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus enter the consumer market. HTC has also been rumored to use AMOLED displays in its lineup, and the HTC One A9 is the start of the Taiwanese manufacturer’s AMOLED trend. Vivo, UMi, and Gionee have also turned to AMOLED displays, with Vivo using them in the newly announced X6 and X6 Plus, Gionee in the Gionee S6, and UMi in the UMi Rome (a $90 handset) all featuring them.
Top Chinese smartphone and wearable manufacturer Xiaomi is rumored to have an AMOLED panel lined up for its Mi 5 smartphone, and Huawei will continue its trend of AMOLED reliance in its P9 smartphone as it did with Google’s flagship, the Nexus 6P. The Nexus 6P uses a Samsung AMOLED panel. In addition to leading the mobile display panel market share, Samsung also led the overall smartphone display panel market with 38.5% market share, compared to fellow Seoul rival LG Display’s 13.8%.
Due to Android OEMs and their growing interest in AMOLED displays, and Samsung at the forefront of AMOLED panel production, one can surmise just how much Samsung will financially benefit from this overwhelming demand. With the rise of AMOLED panels, though, Samsung is being validated for its choice to utilize the panel type – and LCD screens, though holding what many deem to be accurate color reproduction, aren’t yet complete when it comes to viewing the entire color gamut. All this is to say that, regardless of some critic’s wishful thinking, the Korean giant, like Tizen, is here to stay.
