LG and Samsung sign five-year OLED supply deal, but it might make things more confusing for consumers

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OLED really does bring everyone together, as evidenced by this unexpected new deal between two Korean companies that usually want nothing to do with one another. LG Display (not to be confused with LG Electronics) and Samsung have signed a deal in which the former will supply OLED panels to the latter for an agreed five-year period.

It looks to be a large-scale OLED operation, with LG Display supplying between 700,000 and 800,000 OLED panels to Samsung within the next year. LG Display is also expected to provide five million OLED panels within the next five years.

Not only this, but LG Display will begin furnishing Samsung with LCD panels too, meaning these companies will be more intertwined than ever before. We expect to see these panels used on Samsung's budget models, meaning we could see picture upgrades at the cheaper end of Samsung's lineup. We certainly hope this is the case following a not-so-stellar performance from the CU8000 recently.

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We're at liberty to mention that this deal will not include MLA OLED panels, as Samsung Display will continue to produce QD-OLED, which Samsung will use for the upcoming S95D and S90D models.

However, on the subject of mixing panels, Samsung is planning an unconventional approach for its upcoming sets. Unlike LG, Panasonic, Sony and Philips – all of which will clearly designate certain panel tech for specific models – Samsung will mix and match panels depending on the size of the TV. This means that TVs that share the same model number won't feature the same OLED panel technology.

For example, the new 42- and 48-inch models in the S90D series will use standard OLED panels, while the 55- and 65-inch models will get QD-OLED panels. According to FlatpanelsHD, Samsung isn't planning on specifying which sizes will get OLED or QD-OLED panels for consumers either, adding further confusion.

We're not a fan of this approach, as it means picture performance could vary massively between sizes, however, we'll have to wait until we get these new Samsung TVs into our testing facilities to be sure of this.

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best OLED TVs

As well as our Samsung S95C review

Here's what to expect from Samsung in 2024

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Lewis Empson is a Senior Staff Writer on What Hi-Fi?. He was previously Gaming and Digital editor for Cardiff University's 'Quench Magazine', Lewis graduated in 2021 and has since worked on a selection of lifestyle magazines and regional newspapers. Outside of work, he enjoys gaming, gigs and regular cinema trips.