In the first quarter of this year, the shipment of small organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) used in smartphones and smartwatches reached a record high for the first quarter.
According to the ‘Small OLED Display Market Track’ published by market research firm UbiResearch on the 23rd, the shipment of small OLEDs in the first quarter of this year was recorded at 243 million units.
This is a 10.7% increase compared to the first quarter of last year, marking the highest shipment volume on record for the first quarter. However, shipments decreased by 14.3% compared to the previous quarter.
With production of panels for Apple concentrated in the second half of the year, both Samsung Display and LG Display saw a decrease in shipments compared to the previous quarter.
Chinese panel manufacturers also experienced a decline in shipments compared to the previous quarter, but UbiResearch noted that they show significant growth compared to the first quarters of 2023 and 2024.
China's top manufacturer, BOE, is undergoing evaluations for panel approvals for the Apple iPhone 17 Pro, and if approved, it is expected to produce about 50 million panels for the iPhone this year.
Han Chang-wook, vice president of UbiResearch, said, “Although the shipment volume of Korean panel manufacturers decreased compared to the previous quarter, improvements in performance are expected in the second half of the year when panels for Apple are produced in earnest, and revenues are anticipated to exceed last year's figures.”