Having revealed its plans to start mass-producing inkjet printed OLED panels in the near future, TCL has showcased what consumers can expect to see. At the Global Display Tech-ecosystem 2023 conference this week, it revealed a number of prototype inkjet-printed RGB OLED displays for monitors and laptops. 

The new panels are developed by TCL’s display making subsidiary CSOT, which revealed them for the first time at the event in Wuhan, China. 

In a statement, TCL CSOT’s chief executive Jun Zhao said his company is dedicated to developing displays that are not just green and low-carbon, but also come with eye-friendly safety features. 

"Through significant advancements in display technologies including LCD and OLED, we have achieved remarkable breakthroughs, all aimed at delivering a superior user experience,” the CEO said, as reported by FlatPanels HD. “We will continue to provide high-quality products across various scenarios, collaborating closely with our industry partners."

TCL CSOT previously showed off its inkjet-printed OLED panels in 2021, when it rolled out a prototype of an 8K resolution, 65-inch OLED display for TVs. This week, it followed up with a 65-inch curved OLED panel that also offers 8K resolution. 

The company said that despite its large size, the curved OLED panel is designed for monitors. It’s aimed at providing the most immersive gaming experience with detailed graphics, and it supports refresh rates of up to 120Hz, which is blazing fast for an 8K panel. In addition, the company said the inkjet production method enables it to deliver higher brightness than regular OLED displays. 

Another prototype on show was the 31-inch 4K OLED panel for monitors. It too, boasts a 120Hz refresh rate, and is styled as a kind of “domed display” that can enhance the sense of “3D immersion” in gaming sessions. That said, it does not support 3D playback.

Last but not least, the company teased a smaller 14-inch OLED panel for notebooks, which offers 2.8K resolution and variable refresh rates, ranging from 30Hz to 120Hz. 

Analysts say OLED will eventually supplant LCD as the display technology of choice for laptops, monitors and TVs in the coming years, so the announcement from TCL is a timely one. That said, it could be a while before we see the first actual products using TCL’s OLED displays, as the company will only begin mass producing the panels in late 2024 or early 2025. It will start with monitor and laptop panels, with TV panels not likely to come until later.