OLED TVs are currently among the best TVs one can buy in the market. And for a little less than a decade, LG Display has been the sole producer of every OLED television on the market. But this year, LG's Korean arch rival, Samsung Electronics, after a 9-year absence from the OLED market, has made a foray with its QD-OLED TVs.
Just the other day, Samsung revealed the specs and prices for its new QD-OLED TV, officially called the S95B, in 55- and 65-inches. It is just one of the South Korean brand's flagship displays coming soon this year, alongside its premium QN900B Neo QLED 8K and 4K TVs. For the record, QLED is a tweak of existing LCD technology, while OLED is a new technology altogether. OLED – which stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode – uses a carbon-based film between two conductors that emits its own light when an electric current is passed through.
Why Samsung needs LG?
Samsung Display, the display subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, is the one vested with the manufacture of large QD OLED panels. And the company has been at it from late last year.
As it happens, according to reports in the Korean media, Samsung Display's manufacturing numbers of OLED panels are not adequate.
"Its output is only enough to support the production of 1 million TVs on an annual basis, causing concerns about the shortage of supply," a report said. In the event, Samsung has made available the QD-OLED TV only in the North American and European markets. Its domestic and Asian markets have still not got Samsung's new QD OLED TVs.
It is in this context that Samsung is rumoured to be in talks with LG for the supply of OLED panels that will be used in its new TVs. Notwithstanding the fact that they are fierce rivals in the market place, the two Korean tech giants are said to be talking between themselves as to whether some kind of alliance can be worked out.
Samsung is, in a sense, caught in a cleft stick. It needs more supply sources for OLED panels to be used in TVs. But LG is the only one player in the market manufacturing them. Ergo, the competitors are now trying to negotiate with each other.
But just because the two are talking it out, there is no guarantee that a deal will be clinched. But even if some kind of understanding is worked out, Samsung TVs with LG OLED panels would not be able to hit the market anytime soon, as new product development effort will require months before it can be formally streamlined.
- Will the Samsung S95B make our list of the best OLED TVs? Only time will tell...
