Samsung Display (SDC) is reportedly preparing to invest about KRW 300 billion in a 12-inch RGB OLED-on-Silicon (OLEDoS) production line, moving the next-generation microdisplay technology closer to mass production as the XR market shifts toward lighter glasses.
China's optical suppliers are playing a growing role in the global smart glasses, VR, and AR supply chain as AI glasses demand accelerates worldwide. Industry sources say more than 80% of smart glasses suppliers are from China, with Chinese vendors covering key areas from camera modules and light waveguides to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and batteries.
China's top three liquid-crystal display (LCD) panel makers have sent written price-increase notices to customers for the first time, as Taiwan's leading panel makers sell factories and China tightens its grip on the global market. With South Korea and Japan already out of the thin-film-transistor LCD (TFT-LCD) market, China now controls more than 70% of LCD TV and monitor panel share, creating an effective oligopoly.
Suppliers in China's AR glasses supply chain see the approximately 2 billion people worldwide with myopia as a potential market and said shipments are set to double year after year, even as the industry continues to sift winners from losers. At this year's China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE), smart glasses remained a standout theme alongside optical communications.
Samsung Display could emerge as one of the biggest supply-chain beneficiaries of Apple's entry into foldable smartphones, as the Korean panel maker already accounts for about two-thirds of global foldable smartphone panel shipments, with Apple set to become a major new source of demand.
Last week, from September 9 to 11, thousands of vendors gathered for an enormous trade show in the Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen. At the China International Optoelectronic Expo (CIOE), DIGITIMES reporters got a peek into the trends going on within this booming industry.
South Korean panel makers command about 80% of the automotive OLED market, according to Sigmaintell, as electrification and smarter vehicles keep demand for car displays stable and drive growth in new applications such as head-up displays. Competition is set to intensify as China's LCD makers press into higher-end automotive screens.
S&P Global Mobility senior research analyst for connected cars and user experience in Asia-Pacific Quan Zhang shared the latest forecasts for the cockpit display and head-up display (HUD) markets.
The 2026 China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE) closed on September 11. While near-eye display applications such as AR/VR and smart glasses drew attention, vendors' latest moves in optical communications also attracted strong industry interest.
Following the launch of Apple's first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, combined sales momentum from Samsung Electronics, Huawei Technologies, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Motorola is expected to drive global foldable smartphone shipments above 27 million units in 2026.
China's OLED supply push is gathering pace, with BOE Technology Group (BOE), TCL China Star Optoelectronic Technology and Visionox rapidly expanding production and closing in on South Korean rivals. South Korean companies still hold an edge in OLED for smartphones and TVs, but their room to grow in IT devices and automotive OLEDs is likely to narrow.
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