[Edaily Reporter Choi Oh-hyun ] While Chinese companies have dominated the global monitor panel market with liquid crystal display (LCD) technology, Samsung Display and LG Display have launched a counteroffensive centered on organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. Rather than engaging in a head-on battle with Chinese LCDs, which rely on price and volume, their strategy is to expand OLED’s market share—particularly in the gaming sector, where response speed and image quality are critical—thereby shifting the very dynamics of competition in the monitor market.

According to industry sources on the 28th, Samsung Display announced at “Gamescom 2026,” held the previous day in Germany, that it will begin mass production of a 24.5-inch QD-OLED panel by the end of the year. The 24.5-inch size is a popular choice among esports and first-person shooter (FPS) gamers, and it is a segment where LCD products currently dominate. This move signifies an expansion of the QD-OLED lineup—previously centered on 27-inch and larger models—into a smaller size category to fully capitalize on the demand for switching to OLED in the gaming market.

LCDs still account for the vast majority of the current monitor market. This year, LCDs represent approximately 97% of the global monitor market. The top three Chinese manufacturers—BOE, TCL CS CORPORATION, and HKC—account for about 74% of the global supply of LCD monitor panels. In effect, Chinese companies, leveraging their scale and price competitiveness, hold the dominant position in the LCD monitor panel market.

Although OLED accounts for only about 3% of the total monitor market, Samsung Display and LG Display are leading the supply of OLED panels. In the gaming monitor segment as well, LCD still dominates the market, but OLED—boasting high refresh rates and fast response times—is rapidly gaining ground, particularly in the premium segment.

According to market research firm IDC, global OLED monitor shipments nearly doubled, rising from 1.24 million units in 2024 to 2.34 million units last year. TrendForce forecasts that OLED monitor panel shipments will increase by 38.7%, from 3.3 million units last year to 4.7 million units this year. The firm expects the market to maintain steady double-digit annual growth, expanding to 10.1 million units by 2030.

In particular, the gaming market—where OLED’s strengths are particularly evident—is also on the rise. According to IDC, global gaming monitor shipments increased by 35% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2024. In the Chinese market, gaming monitor shipments rose by 62.9% in the fourth quarter of the same year, with products featuring refresh rates of 180Hz or higher accounting for 75.2% of the total. Analysts note that the premiumization of the gaming monitor market—which prioritizes high refresh rates and fast response times—is serving as a springboard for the expansion of OLED technology.

This explains why the South Korean display industry—which has lost the scale competition in LCD to China—is now seeking to secure a leading position in the gaming monitor market by leveraging OLED technology. Gaming monitors prioritize higher refresh rates, faster response times, and sharper picture quality compared to general office monitors, making it easier to highlight the advantages of OLED. The industry is paying close attention to the possibility that a similar shift—where the market center of gravity moves from LCD to OLED, centered on premium products—could occur in the gaming monitor sector, just as it did in the smartphone market.

LG Display is also targeting the OLED monitor market by emphasizing quality and supply stability. Recently, TCL—after initially adopting OLED panels from its affiliate CSOT—has once again chosen LG Display’s OLED panels as it expands its product lineup. Taiwan’s ASUS is also reported to have discontinued the use of OLED panels from China’s BOE just about a month after adopting them. Industry analysts suggest that Chinese-made OLEDs have not yet fully caught up with Korean manufacturers in terms of performance and supply stability.

An industry official stated, “While LCD is a low-value-added, high-volume market where Chinese companies hold an advantage, domestic companies are pursuing a strategy centered on high-value-added products,” adding, “OLED has characteristics suitable for gaming, such as response speed and picture quality, so the market is growing rapidly.”