OLED TVs have long since been the darling of A/V aficionados, home theater enthusiasts and TV dorks like myself. While OLEDs aren’t ideal for every viewing environment, the technology is nonetheless capable of performance- and design-related feats that even the top Mini-LED TVs can’t pull off.
There’s just one problem: OLED TVs don’t come cheap. Even entry-level OLEDs tend to be priced higher than mid-range Mini-LED TVs, and the best OLED TVs are often more expensive than some brands’ best LCD-based sets.
But there are signs that the status quo could be changing. This year, LG Display is manufacturing cheaper OLED panels for LG and its competitors, and it’s happening at a time where the top OLED-maker is also reportedly developing an even-cheaper panel for the next generation of OLED TVs. Here’s how these advancements could usher in an era of cheap OLEDs.
LG Display’s quest to make OLED cheaper, more efficient and longer lasting
There are two exciting developments in the realm of affordable OLED technology playing out as we speak. The first spin on OLED technology is already available to buy and it's called OLED SE.
Announced back in March by LG Display, OLED SE sits below OLED EX, the latter of which is the panel-type associated with the mid-range LG C6. OLED EX, however, sits below OLED META, the panel-type associated with the flagship-level LG G6. This makes the OLED SE one of the most affordable panel options for any brand looking to sell an OLED TV.
There’s been speculation among industry insiders that the all-new LG B6E OLED — one of LG’s most-affordable OLED TVs this year — is built around LG Display’s OLED SE panel. We’ve yet to take this model for a test spin in our lab, but there’s no denying its relatively friendly price tag of just $899 for a 55-inch model.
Earlier this year, rumors began circulating that a new Sony OLED could be on the horizon — a more-affordable set that could compete with entry-level and mid-range OLEDs from Samsung and Sony. At the time, I floated the possibility that this TV could very well leverage LG Display’s OLED SE panel, too.
Even if we assume that OLED SE panels are present in TVs like the LG B6E (and in entry-level OLEDs from LG’s competitors), $899 for an entry-level model isn’t exactly cheap. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like LG Display’s work is done.
What is two-stack OLED?
According to Korean newspaper ETNews (as reported by FlatpanelsHD), LG Display is reportedly developing an all-new, “two-stack” WOLED panel for use in TVs and monitors. The design is built around a simplified structure that relies on just two emission layers, while previous WOLED-based designs (like the one found on the LG C6) rely on three layers.
The design is built around a simplified structure that relies on just two emission layers.
LG Display claims that the new two-stack structure is capable of covering about 82.5% of BT.2020.
If true, that would be an impressive step up from what we've measured on the three-stack OLED panels we've tested, which tend to settle in the 75% to 77% range.
While there's no guarantee that future OLED TVs built around this new, two-stack structure will ultimately be cheaper than what we're used to seeing within the entry-level and mid-range class, it's likely a net-positive for the market (and shoppers) for the manufacturing of OLED technology to get more efficient in the long run.
Cheaper OLEDs in 2027 and beyond
The development of new OLED technology won't immediately crash the price of OLED TVs around the world. But new, more-cost-effective ways of manufacturing this infamously finnicky display tech is essential to its long-term viability.
Whether we're talking OLED SE, "two-stack" WOLED or something not yet fully realized, these developments are all stops on the road to OLED TVs' becoming less of a luxury for the average person.
Shared adoption of these new panel types from brands like Samsung, Sony and others is key, too, because the more options people have when buying a new TV, the better (and cheaper) those options are likely to become. Additionally, if LG Display is successful in these endeavors, it could entice TV brands that haven't previously developed OLED TVs to finally take the plunge.
If LG Display is successful in these endeavors, it could entice TV brands that haven't previously developed OLED TVs to finally take the plunge.
In 2027 and beyond, OLED TVs could see even cheaper pricing, provided these advancements aren't offset by additional supply-chain shortages.
It's possible that the next major OLED frontier won't be about making these TVs bigger and brighter, but rather, leaner and cheaper.
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