The era of affordable OLED televisions might be just around the corner. Reports from the far east suggest cheaper technology could finally be ready for mass production next year, meaning prices should come down.
According to London-based analysts IHS Markit, the global capacity for Inkjet OLED production is set to rise 12-fold from 2020 to 2024. That could mean the average 65-inch set could be up to 25% cheaper to produce compared to standard WOLED technology.
Right now the new Inkjet method of production does not offer the same quality as the WOLED sets, in terms of brightness, colour performance and lifespan, so it seems any sets arriving on the market will be in the midrange.
The Japanese manufacturer IJP is hoping to develop the technology for PCs, monitors and tablets before moving onto televisions, according to a report from DigiTimes, which says Chinese panel-makers will follow suit.
“In recent years, IJP has attracted the attention of panel makers due to its strong potential to reduce the cost of OLED production,” Chase Li, senior analyst at IHS Markit said.
“Despite years of competition with LCDs in the market for high-end displays of all sizes, OLED market penetration remains limited because of its expensive production costs. However, IJP has the potential to dramatically reduce manufacturing expenses, making OLEDs more cost-competitive with LCDs in products including televisions and displays for computers and tablets.”
Related: LG C9 review
While a 15% – 25% discount on a television set might not sound like the biggest deal in the world, it’s certainly significant when you look any televisions like the LG C9, which is one of our top-rated OLED sets.
That TV – in its 55-inch guise – currently retails for £2,499, so a 25% discount would represent one hell of a saving. That being said, with the inkjet OLED sets likely to sit in the mid-range, the discounts would be less pronounced.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
