The third-quarter earnings season for the industry has begun, led by Powertip Technology, followed by Coretronic. The main events are set for October 30, when major names including LG Display (LGD), AUO, Radiant Opto-Electronics, and BenQ Materials will hold their briefings.

Darwin Precisions will remain as a key player in the display industry even amid challenges resulting from tariffs and exchange rates, according to company chairman Kuo-hsin Tsai. The company has worked hard to improve its financials while optimizing product mix, production efficiency, and cost structure, aiming for better performance in 2026.

China's Shenzhen Sapo Photoelectric will invest CNY1.334 billion (US$186 million) to build a new LCD and OLED polarizer production line in Shenzhen, worsening an already oversupplied market. With the global display supply chain increasingly concentrated in China, Taiwanese polarizer makers face intensifying pressure to transform.

China's national subsidy program is nearing its end, and consumer spending momentum has slowed down. During the National Day holidays, TV sales volume and prices both declined. With weakening panel pull-in momentum, the industry is not optimistic about TV sales for the upcoming Singles' Day shopping festival.

LG Display (LGD) is reportedly planning to invest in production line conversion in 2026 for Apple's next-generation iPhone. According to the latest reports from Korean media, LGD began placing orders for related equipment in the fourth quarter and is expected to start installing them in the first quarter of 2026.

Garmin's second quarter 2025 financial report hit a new record, with total revenue reaching US$1.815 billion, up 20% from the same period in 2024. Operating profit grew 38% year-over-year to US$472 million, with an operating margin of 26%, while the overall gross margin remained high at 58.8%. The strong performance highlights the company's solid profitability and technological competitiveness. Among its product lines, fitness and recreation products led with a 41% year-over-year increase, reflecting growing consumer interest in personalized health monitoring and smart sports technology, as well as global demand for wearable devices.

The rapidly growing demand for AI and augmented reality (AR) smart glasses in China has sparked a tenfold increase in sales during the first half of 2025, significantly accelerating the adoption of microLED technology for miniature displays. Industry analysts anticipate 2025 will become a critical year for full-color microLED development, though mature single-chip full-color microLED displays are projected to appear only by 2027.

Memory module manufacturer Apacer Technology has, in recent years, been actively expanding into full-color cholesteric liquid crystal electronic paper (ChLCD ePaper). Recognizing that Japan has a strong demand for sustainable solutions, the company has joined forces with IRIS Optronics for CEATEC 2025 in Japan, showcasing the latest applications that combine low power consumption, reflective display, and outdoor visibility.

The mid-to-large size OLED panel market is set for significant growth in 2025, driven primarily by demand from the monitor and notebook segments. South Korean companies Samsung Display (SDC) and LG Display (LGD), both of which are dominant players in the OLED sector, are expected to see positive revenue impacts from the market expansion.

The global e-paper industry is entering a new growth phase, fueled by rising demand for color displays and the proliferation of consumer and commercial applications. Leading players—Taiwan's E Ink Holdings, the world's largest producer of electronic paper displays, and Netronix, a major manufacturer of e-reader devices—are both projecting strong momentum through 2025 and into 2026.

Coretronic has reported consolidated revenue of about NT$3.461 billion (US$113.4 million) for September 2025, up 4% from August's NT$3.342 billion and 1% from that of the same month in 2024. For the third quarter of 2025, consolidated revenue reached NT$9.948 billion, up 1% sequentially but down 7% year over year. Cumulative revenue for the first three quarters of 2025 totaled NT$28.28 billion, marking a 5% decline compared to the same period in 2024.

Global Lighting Technologies (GLT) has liquidated its Zhongshan factory in Guangdong, China and has plans to start trial production at its new facility in Vietnam facility in the fourth quarter of 2025. GLT chairman Mang-shiang Lee said the company has reduced display segment revenue to below 5% of its overall sales and is expanding into the biomedical sector for stable future growth.

The integration of Micro LED into AI glasses research has entered the competitive landscape as market interest in AI glasses continues to rise. GIS, which in recent years transformed from touch panels into new businesses, is focusing its 2025 capital expenditures on emerging applications like AR/VR. It is joining forces with Micro LED start-up Porotech, combining GIS's optical engine key technologies along with Foxconn's mass production capacity to form upstream-downstream strategic integration. They have reportedly obtained cooperation in development with important US clients, and AI glasses could be released as early as the second half of 2026 to 2027.

As demand slows in consumer electronics, Samsung Electronics is accelerating its expansion into the B2B digital signage market. The company has secured a large-scale order from Toyota Motor to supply about 23,000 smart displays to its global exhibition centers in the first half of 2025.

Taiwan's first outdoor color electronic paper (e-paper) billboards have demonstrated remarkable resilience, operating reliably under harsh coastal conditions at the Siangshan Wetland in northern Taiwan since their trial launch at the end of 2024. The five solar-powered displays were installed through a May 2024 partnership between Taiwan-based e-paper leader E Ink Holdings and the Hsinchu City Government, marking a milestone in the integration of green technology and ecological conservation.

PlayNitride is positioning its mass transfer process equipment as a key "microLED 3D printer" to accelerate mass production and expand applications beyond current panel customers. Chairman Charles Li revealed plans to extend sales toward automotive OEMs and end users, tapping the growing microLED market following smartwatches.

The Taiwan Panel & Solution Association (TPSA) completed its 12th-term board elections and announced a leadership transition on October 2. Former vice chairman and AU Optronics (AUO) Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Wei-lung Liau succeeded as chairman, while E Ink Holdings Chairman Johnson Lee assumed the vice chairman role. Innolux Chairman and CEO Jim Hung transitioned from chairman to executive supervisor.

Kaynes Technology has opened India's first waveguide manufacturing line in Mysuru in partnership with US-based DigiLens, placing the country in the global supply chain for extended reality (XR) and defense optics.

At the end of August 2025, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) suffered a cyberattack that crippled all its critical systems in a single day, forcing global factories to stop production. As the UK's largest automaker, JLR faced losses exceeding GBP70 million in just one day, significantly impacting its supply chain. To recover, JLR secured two major funding injections totaling GBP3.5 billion (US$4.7 billion): a GBP1.5 billion government-backed loan to support suppliers and a GBP2 billion syndicated loan from international banks to maintain liquidity.

Amid its legal battle with Samsung Display (SDC), BOE appears unaffected and is taking a more aggressive stance in the OLED market with the support of the Chinese government and Apple. According to Korean media outlet Digital Daily, BOE is building an 8.6-generation AMOLED production line in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, with a total investment of about CNY63 billion (US$8.8 billion), planning to achieve a monthly panel capacity of 32,000 sheets (based on 2290×2620mm) through the construction of Phase 1 to Phase 2.

The e-paper market is flourishing with diverse end applications, driving strong performance for related manufacturers. Leading e-paper maker E Ink expects a brief pause in the fourth quarter of 2025 after customers front-loaded orders in the first half, aiming to resume growth momentum in 2026.

Ennostar, a Taiwan-based developer of optoelectronic semiconductors, is actively expanding its presence in the AI optical communication market. It has announced a collaboration with European micro-transfer printing (MTP) specialist X-Celeprint, aiming to accelerate the implementation and commercialization of mass transfer technology in silicon photonics (SiPh) applications.

A fresh wave of augmented reality (AR) smart glasses is beginning to ripple through the consumer electronics market, promising to leap far beyond current AI-enabled eyewear in both sophistication and scale. This shift is not only setting the stage for a new era of immersive digital experiences but also reinvigorating segments of the global consumer electronics supply chain.

At Meta Connect 2025, Meta unveiled three new products, including the smart glasses Live AI, which fell short of expectations. The demonstration revealed that while AI conversation is not a novel concept, achieving smooth real-time interaction remains difficult. Interestingly, public criticism has been relatively muted. On the other hand, Meta's vision of AI glasses integrated with neural signal wristbands—eliminating the need for keyboards and mice—continues to hold appeal, generating anticipation for future developments.

Samsung Electronics has reportedly launched a management review of its television business amid increasing pressure from Chinese companies in the global TV market. The move aims to reassess Samsung's existing TV business structure and the competitiveness of its new ventures, to adjust its business organization and product portfolio accordingly.