For a while it looked as though a new range of Samsung OLED TVs, built with LG panels, were in the works. Well, not any more, according to the latest rumour from South Korea.
A report by The Elec (via flatpanelshd) suggests that although Samsung was negotiating to buy two million "White OLED" panels from LG Display, the tech giant has now "lost interest" in the idea.
The report cites two major reasons for the possible U-turn...
First, demand for TVs went through the roof during a spate of global lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, before dropping off again in 2022. This could explain why Samsung has seemingly taken its foot off the gas with regards to the launch of its first White OLED TV range.
Second, the World Cup – which kicks off in Qatar in November and is the second-most watched sporting event in the world – was expected to lead to OLED TV shortages. But, with the global supply chain crisis starting to ease, analysts now believe that scenario to be far less likely.
The Elect report also claims that Samsung had "asked LG Display to co-develop W-OLED technologies going forward". Rumour has it that the veteran display manufacturer was none too keen on the idea, which may have further stymied negotiations.
LG has been using White OLED (aka W-OLED, W OLED, etc) panels in some of its best OLED TVs for more than a decade now. The technology uses an extra white "subpixel" layer to boost brightness in addition to RGB filters.
Samsung was originally tipped to launch its first White OLED TVs in June 2022 or soon after. But with that plan now apparently on the back burner, might Samsung give its hybrid QD-OLED TVs – which, confusingly, are billed as "OLED TVs" – an extra push?
It may already be happening. Samsung's US online store has just slashed $200 off the S95B, the firm's first QD-OLED TV.
MORE:
Here are the best OLED TVs to buy at the moment
MicroLED: everything you need to know
And why QD-OLED TV could be a game-changing TV tech
