The latest data from IHS Markit shows that Samsung Display has retained its dominant position as the top global smartphone display vendor in the first quarter of this year. It was able to do that as more smartphone manufacturers opted for OLED panels for their premium devices. Samsung picked up the bulk of those orders.
Samsung's display affiliate is estimated to have shipped $3.4 billion worth of smartphone displays in the first quarter ending March 2019. It accounted for 40.2 percent of the smartphone display market in this period. Samsung Display also accounted for 80 percent of OLED panel supplies.
Samsung Display retains its leadership
It's pertinent to mention here that Samsung's Q1 market share is 6.6 percentage points lower than it was in the same period last year. However, the company has been able to keep its market share over 40 percent for eight consecutive months.
None of its competitors are even close in terms of market share. Japan Display came in second place with a 12.3 percent market share while China's BOE came third with 11.9 percent. What's interesting to note is that BOE's market share has almost doubled compared to the same period a year back.
Samsung is having to work around demand uncertainties with OLED display panels. It was reported about a year ago that the company was looking to build a “super OLED factory” in South Korea. It would have had 30 percent more production capacity compared to the A3 plant in China. Samsung would have invested almost a billion dollars into the new factory. However, it was later reported that Samsung had decided to put the project on ice until it's sure about sustained demand in the market.
