Anyone who has recently purchased a TV that features some kind of fancy display technology, such as OLED, Mini-LED or RGB-LED, will know only too well that such things don’t come cheap. Typically, you’re looking at a four-digit price tag in the best of cases, even if you opt for a smaller model, and the costs are even more excessive if you aim for something bigger.
Which is why we welcome any sign that suggests that the price of premium TVs may soon decrease, and there’s good news on that front, according to a report by Biz Chosun.
Industry experts say that the cost of manufacturing OLED panels in particular is expected to decrease, following a pattern that has seen them become progressively cheaper over the last five years. Biz Chosun says that the average cost of a 65-inch OLED panel manufactured by LG Display is expected to drop to less than $500 by the end of the year, and will become even lower as we head into 2026. That’s down from an average price of $1,000 in 2020.
The report gave the prices of 65-inch OLED panels to illustrate the decreases, but in fact, panels of all sizes are set to become cheaper, including larger 77-inch and 83-inch versions.
However, while FlatpanelsHD voices optimism that these lower costs might be passed onto consumers, that’s far from guaranteed. LG Display has, of course, spent billions of dollars over the last decade or so on people, machinery and research, to be able to get to the stage where it can produce OLED panels for less than $500. And it may feel that it needs to keep prices high to recoup those costs, at least for the time being.
Biz Chosun referred to these costs in its report, noting that LG Display has spent heavily in recent years on expanding its production lines and researching methods that can increase its manufacturing yields. It says these investments “began paying off last year”, with its production costs being reduced by 30% compared to the prior year. But it may yet need several years to recoup the money it spent upfront.
However, the good news is that LG Display hopes to achieve “additional cost cuts” next year through a design innovation that adapts the structure of its display drivers, making them even more affordable to produce.
It’s making significant progress, and Biz Chosun says that LG’s OLED panels may already be cheaper to manufacture than the new RGB LED displays launched by companies such as Samsung and Hisense this year. RGB LED is a big deal, and Sony and TCL both have plans to use the displays for next year’s flagship TVs, providing a fresh challenge to OLED.
But OLED may have a cost advantage, for one industry source told Biz Chosun that the cost of the LED chips used in the RGB LED backlights accounts for the bulk of the overall panel price. "When you include the backlight and driver costs, it is effectively estimated at the $400–$600 level, similar to OLED panel production costs, and it could even be more expensive,” the anonymous source said.
With OLED’s production prices set to fall below $500, that could mean next year’s flagship TVs can undercut the price of RGB LED models on pricing, making them a more sensible buy for anyone in the market for a new premium TV.
