The market for plastic and flexible AMOLED displays will rise to $16bn by 2020. OLED displays are thinner, lighter, and offer better color performances compared to backlit liquid crystal displays (LCD). OLED displays are already mass produced for mobile phones and OLEDs will continue gaining market share against LCD technology.
The next evolution is plastic and flexible displays. IDTechEx expects the first flagship phone with a flexible display to ship in 2017. Based on this scenario, the market for plastic and flexible AMOLED displays will rise to $16bn by 2020.
Figure 1: Plastic and flexible OLED display revenue forecast
Source: IDTechEx
The rise of plastic and flexible displays will be accompanied by a shift from glass substrates to plastic substrates such as polyimide. However, glass-based displays will remain an important technology, especially in TV applications where scale-up and cost reduction are still big challenges. Flat and curved OLED TVs were recently launched by Samsung and LG to critical acclaim. However, manufacturers are hedging their bets by investing in LCD backlights enhanced with quantum dots. These so-called "quantum dot LCD" TVs will be positioned as a cheaper upgrade from existing sets. Nevertheless, the market for OLED TV panels will experience steady growth over the next decade.
Based on a deep understanding of the technology roadmap and the existing bottlenecks, IDTechEx has forecasted the OLED display market in eight segments:
- Mobile phone displays
- Tablet and notebook displays
- TV panels
- Automotive and aerospace
- Wearable electronics
- Industrial and professional displays
- Microdisplays
- Other applications
Figure 2: OLED displays: CAGR by market segment 2015-2025
Source: IDTechEx
IDTechEx has been tracking printed, organic, and flexible electronics since 2001. This report gives a unique perspective on the OLED display market, leveraging the full expertise of our analysts and the direct interviews with companies in the value chain.
Key features of this report
- Executive Summary available as a separate 36 slide presentation (PDF format)
- Detailed 10-year forecasts by market segment
- Detailed 10-year forecasts by display type (AMOLED rigid glass, AMOLED rigid plastic, AMOLED flexible, PMOLED, segmented, and microdisplays)
- The latest progress on printed OLEDs
- Listing of OLED material suppliers by country
- Technologies and players in the OLED value chain (substrate, backplane, transparent conductor, barrier film)
- Company profiles based on direct interviews