"From the standpoint of revenue and product scale, with the introduction of 8.6-generation organic light-emitting diode (OLED), the information technology (IT) panel business is expected to grow 20% to 30% this year from last year." (Lee Cheong, Samsung Display president)
"It's not yet the right timing to generate revenue from investing in production facilities for 8.6-generation IT OLED panels." (Jeong Chul-dong, LG Display president)
The heads of Samsung Display and LG Display said this at "CES 2026," the world's largest IT exhibition held in early this month in Las Vegas. Samsung Display President Lee Cheong said, "Given the large-scale investment, it's important to make (8.6-generation IT OLED) a solid success this year, and business expansion will naturally follow," adding, "We have strengths over competitors by applying All-oxide technology this year." All-oxide technology builds the OLED "driving circuitry layer" around oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors (TFTs) and is regarded as more suitable for large-area IT panels than existing approaches. Lee effectively expressed confidence that, based on its technology, the company can deliver results in the IT OLED market.
By contrast, LG Display is maintaining a "cautious" stance on entering 8.6-generation IT OLED. LG Display President Jeong Chul-dong said, "The pace of shifting from liquid crystal displays (LCD) to OLED differs by product—tablets, laptops and monitors—so the 8.6-generation IT OLED market hasn't yet reached the economic scale we envision," adding, "If we invest, we need conviction that we can generate revenue, and for now we can respond with the existing 6-generation infrastructure." He added, "When the market scale is in place, we plan to respond in several ways."
As Samsung Display and LG Display take divergent approaches to investing in 8.6-generation IT OLED panels—touted as a "game changer"—market interest is rising in the reasons behind the split. In Apr. 2023, Samsung Display said it would invest 4.1 trillion won to build a production line with a monthly capacity of 15,000 sheets. On the 15th, at its Asan business site housing the 8.6-generation production line, it held a "shipment ceremony and safety prayer event" to mark initial product shipments and wish for successful ramp-up.
Not only Samsung Display but also China's BOE is investing 63 billion yuan (about 11.4 trillion won) to build a line with a monthly capacity of 32,000 sheets. CSOT also held a groundbreaking ceremony for an 8.6-generation OLED line, signaling entry into the market. Even as major panel makers accelerate mass-production setups, LG Display has yet to present a concrete investment plan for this area. Why is there such a "temperature difference" in investment, despite the same mass-production technology?
◇ Is the "securing customers" structure the reason behind the investment gap?
8.6-generation IT OLED refers to the process of producing panels for devices such as laptops, tablets and monitors from large mother-glass substrates. The industry classifies factories by the size of the glass substrate processed in a single run; 8.6-generation typically means mother glass measuring 2,290 mm × 2,620 mm. That's more than twice the glass size used for existing 6-generation OLED.
Being able to make more products in a single process dramatically lowers production costs, which is advantageous for securing "price competitiveness." Even with large upfront investment, shifting to 8.6-generation seems favorable if it yields long-term profit. But industry explanations suggest this logic doesn't fit every company. Displays are a business-to-business (B2B) industry, so a company needs customers to buy the product to earn revenue. Because the customer base differs by company, some interpret the diverging moves on 8.6-generation IT OLED investment as a reflection of that.
Samsung Display and LG Display currently produce most small and midsize OLED panels on 6-generation lines. Both companies supply not only smartphone panels but also IT device panels through these lines. As a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display has relatively solid mobile demand. According to securities estimates, Samsung Display supplies hundreds of millions of smartphone panels annually to Samsung Electronics.
By contrast, after affiliate LG Electronics exited the smartphone business, LG Display's business structure differs from Samsung Display's. In practical terms, it must rely on Apple for demand for mobile OLED panels. With a more limited smartphone customer base than Samsung Display, LG Display is known to have a higher share of IT panels within its total 6-generation output.
The difference between 6-generation and 8.6-generation largely comes down to production efficiency tied to "mother-glass size." Even if LG Display does not switch to 8.6-generation, it would have no issue supplying IT OLED panels as long as there is customer demand. Korea Information Display Society President Kwon Jang-hyeok (Kyunghee University professor) said, "The 6-generation is tailored to mobile panels and the 8.6-generation is suited to IT devices, but there is no major technical difference in the panels that ship," adding, "The reason 8.6-generation is in the spotlight is that it can cover not only IT devices but also small monitors while significantly boosting production efficiency."
According to market researcher Omdia, as of the first quarter last year, smartphones equipped with OLED panels accounted for 63% of the total. The shift from liquid crystal displays (LCD) to OLED is underway. A display industry official said, "For Samsung Display, which counts not only Samsung Electronics but also Apple as key customers, it likely wants to use its limited 6-generation capacity to meet mobile demand," adding, "It also has room to address the IT device market, which is expected to shift from LCD to OLED like smartphones, so it has moved aggressively to 8.6-generation." The official added, "LG Display's mobile panel supply is more variable than Samsung Display's, so it appears to have chosen to maximize utilization of its 6-generation lines."
Chinese display makers have so far effectively failed to set up mass-production lines for small and midsize OLED panels, which are difficult to manufacture. Now, as they enter the market, they are adopting the latest mass-production technology, the 8.6-generation process.
◇ Diverging market outlooks: "LG Display will ultimately enter, too"
Different views on the market outlook are also cited as a factor making LG Display hesitate to invest. Market researcher TrendForce has projected that it will take 1 year and 6 months to 2 years after full-scale mass production for 8.6-generation IT OLED lines to achieve better economics than 6-generation. That means more time and expense must be invested to optimize. Omdia also expects the related market to grow rapidly as laptops and tablets shift to OLED panels, but forecasts OLED will account for only around 10% of the overall IT panel market in 2030.
For now, the lack of clear customers is also seen as a problem. Even if 8.6-generation lowers IT OLED panel prices from current levels, they are still expected to be pricier than LCD. Device prices using them will inevitably rise. Some in the industry say that, despite higher prices, only Apple and Samsung Electronics can maintain consumer demand. Some in the industry also predict Apple may delay the launch of OLED MacBooks from late 2026 to early 2027 due to price and technical issues. An industry official said, "Once Samsung Display, BOE and CSOT begin producing 8.6-generation panels in sequence, an oversupply where supply exceeds demand could emerge."
That said, as IT devices are also expected to ultimately shift to OLED panels like smartphones, some analysts say LG Display's entry is a foregone conclusion. Kwon said, "To apply flexible OLED panels and the like to IT devices, a shift to 8.6-generation is necessary," adding, "For a latecomer like LG Display, the question is timing; ultimately, it will switch to 8.6-generation." He added, "Although a later entry versus competitors means it won't enjoy a first-mover advantage, it is positive in that it can reduce trial and error in mass-production technology."