According to the latest reports, Samsung’s new QD-OLED displays can be produced at a much more efficient rate than they could a few months ago, so a price cut could be on the cards in the not too distant future.
Back in February, we heard that Samsung Display could make QD-OLED panels with a production yield of only around 30% – for every 10 screens it made, only three were good enough to sell to consumers.
Somehow in a matter of months, Samsung has greatly improved its efficiency and is now reportedly producing QD-OLED TVs with a yield of 75% (an increase of 150%). The news comes from a Business Korea report, which says that the new yield has been shared with Samsung employees on an internal bulletin board.
If true, and if Samsung Display can continue to improve its efficiency even further, then we might see QD-OLED displays drop in price significantly come 2023. We could even see some amazing Black Friday deals announced later this year.
Analysis: one price drop down, another to come
There’s evidence to suggest we’re already seeing cost savings thanks to Samsung’s improved efficiency.
We’re waiting on official prices for other regions, but Sony recently announced that its Bravia A95K QD-OLED TV costs €3,050 for a 55-inch model and €4,050 for a 65-inch in Europe. However, Samsung Electronics (who's using the exact same panels) is selling its TVs in Europe for €2,400 and €3,300 for its 55-inch and 65-inch models respectively.
That’s around 25% more for the Sony TVs compared to their Samsung counterparts.
But while Sony was slower to announce its prices, it was the first to unveil its QD-OLED TV when it showed off its Sony Bravia A95K back in January at CES 2022. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics was still reportedly dragging its heels over a deal with Samsung Display in February, with its Samsung S95B QD-OLED announcement coming at the end of March.
Sony agreed to a deal with Samsung Display earlier on so it has ended up paying more per panel as they were more expensive to produce back then. Samsung Electronics waited, and is able to reap the rewards of more efficient production - bringing the cost of its TVs down.
When these initial orders have been fulfilled, new deals will need to be struck, by which time we could see Samsung Display's production yield increase even more. As such, we could see next year's QD-OLED TVs cost a lot less compared with those that launched this year.
If we're lucky, we might even see some Black Friday deals that bring this new TV tech down to a more budget-friendly price.
We'll have to wait and see, but if you're thinking about getting a new TV we definitely think there's a strong reason to hold out for a while longer to see if you can snatch up a deal.
