OLED Market Stumbles Amid Memory Shortage... Smartphone Panel Shipments Down 12%

Smartphone OLED Panel Shipments Reach 190 Million Units in Q1

Samsung Display Retains Top Spot, LG Display Holds Strong with 9% Market Share

Due to the surge in memory prices, global shipments of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels for smartphones fell across the board in the first quarter of this year. Notably, the decline in shipments from Chinese manufacturers was more than twice as steep as that of Korean companies.

According to UBI Research on May 12, shipments of smartphone OLED panels by major panel manufacturers in the first quarter of this year totaled 190 million units, representing a 12% decrease compared to the same period last year. This figure is also down 20% compared to the previous quarter.

UBI Research analyzed that, in addition to the seasonal slowdown that typically follows the year-end peak season, smartphone manufacturers have been adjusting production volumes due to the recent rise in memory prices, which has led to a decline in panel demand.

By company, Samsung Display maintained its position as the global leader with a 44.4% market share. This represents a 1.6 percentage point increase from the 42.8% share recorded in the same period last year. Although Samsung Display's overall shipment volume declined year-on-year, its market share and dominance actually strengthened.

LG Display also recorded a 9.0% market share, up 1.4 percentage points from a year earlier. UBI Research projected that despite adjustments in production due to rising component prices, LG Display's shipments of panels for iPhones this year will increase compared to last year.

In contrast, Chinese panel manufacturers faced strong pressure to adjust their shipments overall. BOE maintained the highest share among Chinese companies at 16.3%, but the downward trend for Tianma and TCL CSOT was particularly pronounced. The market shares of Tianma and TCL CSOT fell by 3.1 and 2.0 percentage points year-on-year, dropping to 9.0% and 7.8%, respectively.

As a result, the divergence between Korean and Chinese manufacturers became even more pronounced amid the memory-driven chill in the market during the first quarter. The combined shipments of Korean companies, Samsung Display and LG Display, fell by only about 7% year-on-year, whereas the combined shipments of major Chinese manufacturers plunged by approximately 17%. In terms of the volume of decline, the drop for Chinese companies was more than twice as large as that of their Korean counterparts.

UBI Research explained, "The impact of production adjustments by Chinese smartphone manufacturers in response to higher memory prices was reflected most strongly in domestic panel companies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.