Research released by IHS predicts that AMOLED technology is set to surpass a-Si TFT LCD in the small and medium display market.
The study, published by Hiroshi Hayase, says revenue from the active matrix displays (9-in or smaller measured diagonally), including thin-film-transistor (TFT) LCD displays, active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays and active-matrix electrophoretic displays (AMEPD) will likely reach €38.7 billion in 2016.
Small and medium AMOLED display revenue is forecast to reach $14.3 billion in 2016, in spite of revenue growth being slow since 2015. This will allow the technology to close in on low-temperature polysilicon displays (€13.1 billion) and surpassing amorphous silicon (a-Si) TFT LCD displays (€12.4 billion).
It states AMOLED will be “bolstered by the rise in flexible displays used in smartphones, tablet PCs and connected wearable devices,” whereas the applications using of a-Si TFT LCDs (especially in smartphones) will decline.
2016 has seen AMOLED displays be in strong demand from the smartphone market – particularly amongst new Samsung ranges including the Galaxy D and J series. Poor sales of phones such as the iPhone 6S concurrently had a negative impact on the thin-film transistor (TFT) LCD display market, particularly low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) TFT LCD displays.
IHS’s latest forecast indicates strong growth for small and medium AMOLED displays in 2016, but the trend may be revised in the fourth quarter if the demand the displays (particularly with regard to iPhone 7 sales) changes in due course.