Samsung Electronics will begin launching Quantum Dot TVs in 2021, industry watchers believe, arguing a strategy shift recently announced by its sister company all but guarantees that prediction coming true.
Earlier this week, Samsung Display confirmed it's ending all LCD panel production by the end of this year. More importantly, the manufacturer said it will be repurposing existing production lines as part of a shift toward QD displays.
Samsung may start selling Quantum Dot TVs by next year
As Samsung Electronics sources the vast majority of its product components from affiliated suppliers, many analysts see its sister firm's latest announcement as confirmation that the first generation of QD TVs is on the horizon. With mass production of QD OLED panels set to commence in the first half of 2021, that's also the window wherein the chaebol is likely to begin offering television sets utilizing the said display technology to consumers.
Samsung has been pursuing QD-based solutions for several years now, both via internal and external investments. However, the company was in no rush to phase out LCD products from its portfolio. It instead opted to capitalize on the maturing technology with a stop-gap line in the form of QLED TVs. Those are still a major part of its global strategy, with Samsung expecting to move no fewer than eight million QLED TVs in 2020, up 2.7 million compared to its 2019 numbers.
The upcoming first generation of QD products from Samsung will almost certainly be presented as a superior alternative to QLED solutions, which are a variation of LED panels. It remains to be seen how easily will Samsung be able to scale its nascent QD operations seeing how the newer panel type is arguably much more expensive to manufacture in large quantities.
Compared to LCDs, Quantum Dot displays require no backlight as they incorporate organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) which, as their name suggests, emit light with no outside assistance. As such, they boast better energy efficiency and more natural blacks, among other advantages.
