LG Electronics is reportedly discussing a large purchase of QD-OLED panels from its arch rival Samsung Display in order to equip a new range of computer monitors.
The surprising deal was first reported by the Korean language version of ZDNet, and was followed by a second, more detailed report in the English language version of the Korean website The Elec.
Samsung Electronics already sources WOLED panels from LG Display for its OLED televisions, because it hasn’t been able to scale its QD-OLED manufacturing operations enough to meet demand, and now it seems LG is returning the favour, albeit for different reasons.
The Elec cites “industry sources” as saying that LG is planning to launch new OLED gaming monitors in the second half of the year that will use Samsung’s QD-OLED panels. It adds that it’s considering multiple sizes, including 27-inch and 32-inch panels, with an estimated volume of around 10,000 units this year.
The report adds that LG is doing this due to “technical requirements.” Apparently, LG required a pixel density of 160 pixels per inch for its upcoming 27-inch monitors, but LG Display was unable to meet this demand. That’s because WOLED panels use a different, “bottom-emission structure,” which makes it difficult to achieve higher pixel densities.
A second factor is that LG Display is overwhelmed with demand for WOLED TV panels. Samsung has been buying increasing amounts of them each year to supply its growing lineup of OLED television models, reserving QD-OLED only for its highest-end models. Because its making so many panels for Samsung, LG Display doesn’t have enough capacity on hand to produce the monitor panels its parent company requires.
"QD-OLED panels for TVs are still more expensive than WOLED, making Samsung Electronics cautious in adopting them widely," an anonymous source told The Elec. "This has led to a cross-supply structure where Samsung TVs use LG Display's WOLED, while LG monitors adopt Samsung Display's QD-OLED."
QD-OLED and WOLED are both officially “OLED” displays, but they’re quite different. QD-OLED combines blue OLED pixels with quantum dots to generate colour, while WOLED uses white OLEDs with colour filters. Because of these differences, QD-OLED is regarded as offering superior colour performance, while WOLED has cost advantages and a wider range of sizes available.
The negotiations are significant, because LG Display has only just announced its first 27-inch 4K WOLED panel for monitors, featuring RGB-stripe pixels, but Samsung’s QD-OLED panels use a different structure. It could be that LG will ultimately launch various 27-inch OLED gaming monitors that feature both technologies.
Once upon a time, these kinds of cross-purchases between LG and Samsung would have been almost unthinkable due to the intense rivalry between the two companies. But they have grown much closer in recent years due to competitive pressure from Chinese display makers and TV brands, which are threatening their dominance in the market for high-end televisions and monitors.
Samsung first began selling OLED TVs fitted with LG’s WOLED panels in mid-2023 following a period of protracted negotiations, and is also thought to be planning to launch its first WOLED monitors this year. LG has never used Samsung’s QD-OLED panels in either its TVs or monitors before, but it has used its rivals RGB OLED panels in some LG-branded laptops.
