There could be a welcome fall in the price of LCD TVs later this year, with panel prices continuing to drop according to a new report, and the effect of the supply chain crisis appearing to ease.
Tech analyst Sigmaintell Consulting (via DigiTimes) claims that LCD panel prices once again fell last month, with the price of 32-inch to 55-inch displays slipping a further $2-4 per panel and 65-inch and 75-inch models falling by $8-10 per unit.
The news follows on from similar supply-side price falls for LCD panels over the previous two months, and the trend has been downwards since late last year. We've seen already that some of the best TVs available today that use LCD panels have dropped prices in the last few months (such as the Samsung TV pictured above) – even brand new models have wasted no time in dropping from the official price.
Any LCD panels being bought to go straight into production would ship to stores as finished TVs in a few months time, so those price drops could come in time to trigger an especially juicy wave of major discounted TVs for consumers around Black Friday and Christmas.
The manufacture of LCD display tech has become increasingly dominated by China, amid South Korean panel makers withdrawing from the market and moving further towards OLED production.
Prolonged Covid lockdown restrictions in key Chinese tech manufacturing districts such as Wuhan, had however caused a major reduction in the scheduled global supply of panels, with global TV shipments predicted to fall to their lowest level since 2010, according to Market research firm Omdia.
The gradual reopening in recent weeks of major Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai from quarantines now looks set to help revive output.
Analysis: TV price drops may offer a timely Christmas treat
The potential fall in panel pricing will come as timely news for those struggling amid rising costs of living – lots of people will avoid big expenditures such as a new TV, but if you need one, you need one. So we hope this means anyone buying will be able to find a good buy no matter their budget.
UK data from Barclaycard last month saw a slowing in non-essential spending, while US retail giant Best Buy cut its annual profit forecast in May due to lower demand for TVs and computers, underlining the impact of 40-year high inflation on people's spending power.
The price falls in the report look likely to impact the sticker price of smaller and budget entry level sets, which will hopefully mean that the people most affected by inflation rises will benefit the most from the discounts.
We should also note that lots of other factors will affect the final price of TVs, beyond just the price of the panels – shipping costs, for example. But the lower cost of parts might mean that prices won't rise as much as they would otherwise, at least. It all helps.
Don't forget to check out our guides to the best TVs under $1000 and the best TVs under £1000 for the best affordable sets around.
- See Samsung TV deals in our 2022 Memorial Day sales guide
