[Edaily Reporter Choi Oh-hyun ] As laptop prices skyrocket due to “chipflation” (rising semiconductor prices), the premium organic light-emitting diode (OLED) laptop market continues to grow, drawing significant attention. In particular, with the launch of Apple’s OLED MacBook becoming a reality, interest is focusing on the business strategies of Samsung Display, which has secured a leading position in the market, and LG Display, which is closing in on the leader.

According to market research firm Counterpoint Research on the 12th, total laptop panel shipments this year are estimated to decline by 3% year-over-year. TrendForce forecasts that global laptop shipments could drop by as much as nearly 10% next year. This is because prices for central processing units (CPUs) and memory, such as DRAM, have skyrocketed, and the cost increases are being passed on to consumers. However, amid this trend, the market for laptop OLEDs is expected to grow by 50% this year and by an additional 24% next year. Laptop OLEDs are the only segment showing growth.

The slump in the laptop market is due to a sharp rise in component costs. As manufacturers raise laptop prices, consumers are tightening their purse strings. In fact, domestic manufacturers are raising laptop prices one after another. SamsungElectronics raised the price of certain configurations of the Galaxy Book 6 Pro, released this year, by about 20% compared to the launch price. LGELECTRONICS also raised the price of the 16-inch LG Gram by up to 600,000 won last April. According to TrendForce, the combined share of CPUs, DRAM, and solid-state drives (SSDs) in the component costs of laptops—which have a retail price of around $900—jumped to approximately 68% in the third quarter of this year.

Nevertheless, the laptop OLED market is on an upward trajectory. This is due to increasing demand for high-quality displays as the laptop market becomes more premium-oriented, driven by the growth of AI PCs. Manufacturers, facing profitability pressures, are also focusing on adopting OLED displays to raise their average selling price (ASP).

Apple’s adoption of OLED in the MacBook Pro is also cited as a factor driving market growth. According to foreign media reports, Apple is expected to unveil its next-generation MacBook featuring an OLED display around the 27th of this month. This marks the first time Apple has incorporated OLED into a MacBook. Samsung Display is the sole supplier of OLED panels for Apple’s MacBooks.

Samsung Display is the dominant player in the global laptop OLED market, holding a market share of approximately 67% as of the second quarter of this year. This is the result of actively expanding the technology and production infrastructure accumulated through the early commercialization of OLEDs for smartphones into IT products such as laptops and monitors. In particular, since laptops can utilize rigid OLEDs, which have relatively low production costs, the company was able to diversify its product lineup using existing facilities. Some analysts suggest that the company is now reaping the benefits of its early investment in the small- and medium-sized IT market. Samsung Display has invested 4.1 trillion won starting in 2023 and began mass production of 8.6-generation IT OLEDs last July.

LG Display’s market share in the second quarter was a mere 2.6%. This is because LG Display has historically focused its business efforts on flexible OLEDs for smartphones and large-sized OLEDs for TVs. Given this situation, LG Display has also begun to catch up by developing next-generation technologies such as “FLiPP,” which eliminates the need for fine metal masks (FMM) in the OLED manufacturing process to reduce production time and costs. The plan is to secure cost competitiveness by leveraging existing WOLED facilities and technology rather than investing in large-scale new production lines. The company plans to apply this technology first to IT panels for laptops and tablets.

An industry insider stated, “From the industry’s perspective, chip inflation has its pros and cons,” adding, “The key going forward will be how much the display industry can lower OLED production costs to meet price reduction demands from finished product manufacturers and improve profitability.”