The fourth quarter of 2024 is expected to see a decrease in the sales of TV panels, which has prompted major suppliers to reduce their output to sustain pricing, according to industry sources.
According to online monitoring data from Runto Technology (Runto), sales of color e-paper products in China's market grew by 318.2% year-on-year in the first half of 2024, with the penetration rate more than doubling from 3.2% to 8.6% compared to the same period in 2023. China's color e-paper tablet market is experiencing significant growth in 2024, with sales and product variety on the rise.
Taiwanese panel manufacturer Giantplus Technology is actively developing applications using its organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) backplanes, such as smart wearables and medical products, which it has already mass-produced for the world's first OTFT consumer electronics product — the Ledger Stax crypto electronic cold wallet.
Taiwan-based e-paper maker E Ink Holdings is optimistic about the demand for electronic shelf labels (ESL) and expects related orders to continue growing through the first half of 2025, driven by the ongoing expansion of ESL systems in the global retail industry.
As smartphone camera resolutions continue to improve, lenses inevitably become thicker, impacting the weight of the devices. Market rumors suggest that Apple has been researching metalens technology over the past few years, with plans to initially use it to replace the plastic lenses in the iPad's Face ID system. Metalens technology could debut in the Face ID of the iPhone 16 Pro and flagship models as early as 2024.
Samsung Electronics (Samsung) is reportedly building an image quality lab for CIS. To catch up to Sony, it is planning on using simulated photography of various scenery to enhance its high-resolution image technology in CIS.
Global automotive display shipments are estimated to reach 225 million units in 2024, up 7.8% from a year ago, according to Jason Yang, DIGITIMES Research analyst specializing in the display industry. Yang notes that while a-Si will remain the mainstream technology for automotive displays for the next five years, the market share of other non-a-Si displays will all grow.
Novatek Microelectronics anticipates increased revenue in the third quarter, driven primarily by growing smartphone demand, particularly for iPhones. However, the electronics industry faces uncertainties due to the upcoming US elections and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
In display R&D, China's rapid development has garnered attention. While South Korea focuses on technology sectors like OLED and backplanes, China instead puts more emphasis on emerging sectors like Quantum Dot (QD) OLED and micro OLED.
E Ink Holdings (E Ink), a leading e-paper company, is aggressively advancing its color e-paper products. In consumer applications, demand for e-readers and e-paper notebooks remains strong, while e-paper technology expands into laptops and phones, with various brands adopting or showcasing concept products.
E Ink's recent operations have shown strong performance after overcoming challenging times, with their full-color e-paper billboards being adopted by major brands. In addition to Sharp and Philips, Samsung Electronics has also decided to introduce e-paper billboards after showcasing them for the first time. The product is expected to launch in 2025. This adoption by major brands will further enhance the visibility of e-paper technology.
Micro LED TVs are considered an important next-gen technology, but their high prices have prevented them from becoming more widespread. Samsung Electronics has made plans to reduce the price of Micro LED TVs, intending to reduce production costs to one-tenth of the current value within the next 2-3 years.
US-based Rain Technology has accumulated more than two decades of experience in consumer display technologies, with ventures into LCD, OLED, e-privacy, and automotive fields. The company's latest addition to its portfolio, the Anamorphic-XR (AR/VR), is promoting wider adoption of AR/VR by addressing some of the most notable issues in contemporary devices, such as their display brightness, field of view, and color fidelity.
The strength of Chinese domestic brands in the electronics sector is exceptional, with brands such as Hisense, TCL, Xiaomi, Skyworth, Changhong, Konka, Haier, and Huawei collectively holding over 90% of the Chinese TV market share. Chinese companies also lead the smartphone market with various brands such as Vivo, Xiaomi, Oppo, Huawei, and Honor.
Innolux Corporation, a leading display panel manufacturer, is undergoing a significant transformation as it ventures into the semiconductor field with its Fan-Out Panel Level Packaging (FOPLP) technology. The company is closing its generation 5.5 TFT-LCD plant and has garnered attention due to its collaboration with TSMC on FOPLP development and potential interest from Micron Technology in acquiring the aforementioned plant.
Due to weak end-user demand and poor performance during China's 618 shopping festival, TV brands had high inventory levels after stocking up on panels in the first half of the year. Although panel manufacturers provided discounts or rebates to brands in June, it may not be enough to prevent a comprehensive price drop. LCD TV panel prices are expected to drop by $1 in July.
Some display driver IC (DDI) manufacturers noted in their earnings calls that the second quarter of 2024 will see a peak in TV application orders, boosting the shipment performance of large-size DDIs in the second quarter as compensation for the traditionally weak season for small and medium-sized DDIs.
Although the third quarter of the year is traditionally the peak season for panel shipments, the TV brand manufacturers' advance stocking in the first half of the year has led to an increase in current inventory. Combined with the low performance of the Chinese 618 sales event, uncertainty factors for third-quarter panel shipments have increased.
The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) forecasts that AI will transform the display panel industry in three key areas: image quality, energy efficiency, and human-machine interaction.
Taiwan-headquartered electronics manufacturer Wistron, a major Apple supplier, is investing $24.5 million in a new factory in Vietnam's northern province of Ha Nam, according to a report published by a local media, the Investor Vafie Magazine.
BOE Technology, the largest Chinese display panel manufacturer, is reportedly placing equipment orders for its 8.6-generation (8.6G) OLED panel plant under construction in China. Many South Korean equipment makers, including Sunic System, Avaco, Shinsung E&G, and DMS, are expected to benefit as potential suppliers.
At InfoComm 2024, North America's largest display expo, Samsung Electronics, and LG Electronics are set to showcase various commercial display solutions, all featuring AI technology applications.
