Samsung MicroLED

ETNews says that Samsung Display has launched a new project to develop microLED displays for smart watch applications. The company setup a new development team, with a goal to commercialize this technology and move it beyond its current R&D stage.

Samsung's plan, it seems, is to complete the development by the end of 2023, and then look into mass production, aiming to supply such displays to Tier-1 wearable makers such as Apple and Samsung Electronics.

Samsung announced its 2023 microLED TV lineup, with a wide range of sizes - from 50-inch to 140-inch. The TVs will still be highly expensive, but Samsung is expected to reduce its prices, and in addition it will be possible (finally) to self-install the TVs.

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The MicroLED CX range of TVs will include sizes of 50-, 63- 77-, 89-, 101-, 104- and 140-inch. Not all the TVs will ship at once and in all regions. It is expected that the main TV will the the 77-inch one. But at the expected high prices, these will be sold at very low volumes, most likely.

In August 2022, we posted that both Samsung Display and LG Display started to develop microLED microdisplay technologies. According to a new report from Korea, Meta is in talks with both Korean companies regarding the future supply of both OLED and MicroLED microdisplays.

It is said that Samsung targets AR devices with its microLED microdisplay technology, while it targets VR devices with its OLED microdisplays. Samsung's microLED displays will achieve a resolution of 6,000 to 7,000 PPI (higher than its OLED devices).

An California-based integrator, Just One Touch/Video & Audio Center, announced that it has installed the first-ever residential installation of Samsung's latest 219-inch microLED The Wall TV. The price of this project was about $800,000. The installation took three days to complete.

The 219-inch display is made from the IW-008A modules, which offer a 0.84 mm pixel pitch, 120Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 2,000 nits and a maximum brightness of 250 nits.

During the company's latest conference call, Samsung Electronics said that it aims to increase sales of its microLED TVs in 2023 and continue to expand its product range with more TV sizes, as it continues to provide a "differentiated customer experience".

Samsung recently started producing its smallest microLED TV, 89-inch in size, on LTPS backplanes. Its larger 101-inch and 114-inch LTPS models, however, are still not in production.

Towards the end of 2020, Samsung announced it's first "consumer" MicroLED TVs that adopt small microLED chips (this followed its professional/commercial TVs that used larger chips and are already in production for several years). These smaller TVs were scrapped later in 2021, and then Samsung further delayed its plans in April 2022 and did so again in June 2022, due to technical issues.

According to the latest report from Korea, Samsung finally started to produce 89-inch LTPS microLED TVs. Its larger 101-inch and 114-inch models, however, are still not in production.

Samsung is offering high-end microLED ultra-premium TVs, and has recently made plans to start producing smaller-size LTPS-based panels in an attempt to widen the market (even though prices are still extremely high and volume is very low).

According to a new report from Korea, however, not only that Samsung cannot really find customers for its TVs (which isn't a surprise given the price), the TVs are also suffering from high defect rates - even in units shown in retail or showcase events. The report suggests that the high level of defects in the TVs have caused Samsung Electronics to decide to currently not expand its microLED TV lineup, and has postponed the release of 80-inch and 90-inch products indefinitely.

According to a report from Korea, both Samsung Display and LG Display started to develop microLED microdisplay technologies.

Both companies have recently started to develop OLED microdisplays. According to the report, Samsung targets AR devices with its microLED microdisplay technology, while it targets VR devices with its OLED microdisplays. Samsung's microLED displays will achieve a resolution of 6,000 to 7,000 PPI (higher than its OLED devices).

PlayNitride is planning for an IPO, and if all goes according to plan, the company will issue new shares and will start trading at the newly launched Taiwan Stock Exchange Innovation Board in Q3 2022.

PlayNitride's CEO recently participated in an investor conference, during which he said that the company aims to be break-even (on a monthly basis) by the end of 2023, and to turn a profit in 2024.

Towards the end of 2020, Samsung announced it's first "consumer" MicroLED TVs (on LTPS backplanes, rather than PCB used by Samsung for its professional models), including smaller 77-inch to 89-inch models. The smaller models were scrapped later in 2021, and then Samsung further delayed its plans for "consumer" microLED TV production.

According to reports from Korea, Samsung decided to move the production of its MicroLED TVs from its Vietnam fab to its fab in Korea, and aims to start producing LTPS microLED TVs in Q3 2022. Samsung is likely to start with a 89-inch model which will hopefully ship before the end of 2022, and will carry a price tag of around 100 million Won (or around $77,000).