Samsung Display (SDC) plans to accelerate the production of its 8.6G OLED panels for IT applications, which will first be utilized in Samsung Electronics' notebook products.
According to industry sources cited by South Korean media outlet Hankooki, SDC has formulated a plan to advance the mass production timeline of the 8.6G IT OLED from early 2026 to as early as the end of 2025.
Before supplying to Apple's IT devices, SDC will first provide the 8.6G OLED panels to Samsung. Industry analysts believe that since this marks SDC's first mass production of 8.6G OLED panels, the company wants to have more time to enhance product stability.
SDC's investment in the 8.6G line primarily targets meeting the panel demand for Apple's IT devices such as iPads and MacBooks. However, as OLED technology gradually replaces LCD panels in the IT sector, the 8.6G OLEDs can serve the needs of other customers like Samsung.
According to research firm Omdia, the current OLED adoption rate in IT products stands at only 2-3%, but it is expected to grow to 14% by 2028. Following Apple's introduction of OLED in iPads in 2024, the company is expected to adopt OLED panels in MacBooks in 2025.
The industry generally believes that even if SDC is not in a hurry to mass-produce the 8.6G OLED, it will still begin production ahead of Chinese competitor BOE. Market forecasts indicate that BOE will begin mass production of 8.6G OLED panels in the fourth quarter of 2026.
While SDC is poised to maintain its technological leadership in the IT OLED sector, BOE is expected to leverage the vast Chinese market, rapidly expanding its influence through volume advantage.
The term 8.6G refers to an OLED glass substrate (GCS) measuring 2,250mm × 2,600mm. Compared to 6G OLED, 8.6G substrates are over twice the size, resulting in higher production efficiency. Using a 14-inch notebook panel as an example, a 6G substrate can produce about 32 panels, while an 8.6G substrate can yield up to 88 panels.
However, SDC representatives have only indicated that the company is preparing for trial production of the 8.6G IT OLED with a target set for 2026.
