Samsung’s W-OLED TV launch schedule to be determined within May

Whether Samsung can launch a white(W)-OLED within the year will depend on whether it can conclude its negotiation with LG Display within May, sources said.

The pair had been negotiation has been going on for months but they have yet to agree on a unit price for W-OLED panels that both can agree on, they said.

Though the negotiation could extend over this month, this means it will be highly unlikely that Samsung will be able to launch an OLED TV that uses LG Display within the year considering production, logistics and marketing planning needed to launch the TV set, they added.

South Korea is expected to inaugurate a new Administration this month, while the World Cup in Qatar is expected to happen near the end of the year.

Sports events are lucrative for TV makers such as Samsung, and it will want to launch W-OLED TVs that can be timed to begin selling around the time of the World Cup.

TVs take longer to ship compared to IT devices __ Samsung’s TVs made at its Vietnam factory take three weeks to land in South Korea.

Liquid crystal display (LCD) panel prices, which went up last year, are falling again. Last year, the price rise caused Samsung to see fewer profits from its QLED TVs, which use LCD panels, but the price drop of panels means it could consider W-OLED less attractive than before.

Meanwhile, demand for TVs, in general, are falling due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s Covid-19 lockdown measures and inflation.

All these factors mean Samsung won’t be in a rush to launch a W-OLED TV, while LG Display is seeing its profitability drop of LCD panel prices decreasing, which means it needs a new revenue source such as a new customer for its W-OLED panels.