Taiwan's shipments of small- to medium-size LCD panels will continue drifting downward in the second quarter of 2020 in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, with a-Si feature phone applications to be affected the most, according to Digitimes Research.
Shipments of small- to medium-size panels by Taiwan's makers fell 28.4% sequentially and 8.8%% on year to 168 million unit in the first quarter 2020, as China-based handset makers were unable to fulfill their shipments due to the outbreak, cutting panel demand.
As a result, Taiwan's shipments of handset applications decreased 34.4% sequentially in the first quarter, while those for other medium-size (including smart speakers) and tablet applications sank 14.1% and 14.6%, respectively.
Although the outbreak has eased in China and its handset makers have resumed their operations mostly, shipments of handsets, particularly entry-level and mid-tier features phones, to India and other emerging markets remain difficult in the second quarter due to an escalation of the pandemic in these areas.
With panel demand from Chinese handset makers likely to remain conservative, Taiwan's panel suppliers are expected to see their shipments of small- to medium-size panels drop another 4.4% on quarter and 10.4% on year in the second quarter, Digitimes Research estimates.
Handset panels alone will sink 12.4% sequentially to below 100 million units in the second quarter, but those for tablet applications are likely to shoot up 36.8% amid rising tablet demand supporting remote study.
