Samsung Electronics and LG Display have resumed their negotiations for a possible white OLED (W-OLED) supply deal, TheElec has learned.
The pair are discussing LG Display potentially supplying somewhere between 200,000 to 300,000 units of W-OLED panels as the initial stock, sources said.
If LG Display begins manufacturing and supplying the panels, Samsung could launch a TV that uses these W-OLED panels next year.
The resumption of the pair’s talk has much to do with the changes in the worldwide display sector.
Samsung Electronics subsidiary Samsung Display exited its liquid crystal display (LCD) panel business last year while LG Display is reducing its overall LCD production capacity.
Samsung Electronics is now more reliant on Chinese display panel makers that are dominating the LCD sector.
Chinese panel makers have since then become less favorable towards Samsung, sources said.
Samsung, despite having launched its own OLED TVs last year that uses Samsung Display’s quantum dot OLED (QD-OLED) panels, still relies heavily on LCD panels for TVs.
Its premium brand QLED TV uses LCD panels that it adds QD film.
If Samsung procures W-OLED panels from LG Display, it can diversify its OLED TV portfolio to the mid-end.
It also gives Samsung more leverage in negotiating with Chinese panel makers in price.
LG Display may also want the deal more than ever with Samsung as last year it recorded close to 2 trillion won in operating loss and is expected to record another loss in the first quarter.
