Samsung: New display form factors will be developed in 2021

Samsung Display reportedly said recently that it will develop new display form factors such as rollable and slidable screens in 2021 to consolidate its leadership.

Choi Kwon-young, senior vice president of Samsung Display, also said during Samsung Electronics' fourth-quarter conference call that the company will expand its leadership in the foldable market this year with small and medium-sized displays.

Choi said that in the foldable market, which currently has flip and foldable types, Samsung Display will first adopt new technologies to expand its product portfolio and customers. Samsung Display will adopt technologies such as variable refresh rate and low power consumption to deal with competitors entering the OLED market. In the context of the rise of remote services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Samsung will also strengthen the advantages of OLED and apply it to more notebooks, tablets and cars.

In terms of large-size displays, Samsung Display will develop quantum displays (QD) in a timely manner and build a stable customer portfolio to enable the technology to enter the high-end field. The company will also continue to provide liquid crystal displays (LCD) to customers upon request.

It is understood that Samsung Display's original goal was to end LCD display production in 2020, but the company is continuing production at the request of Samsung Electronics and other customers.

Samsung Display posted its highest quarterly earnings in the fourth quarter. This was helped by high demand for OLEDs in smartphones and rising average selling prices for large panels used in TVs and monitors. The company posted sales of 9.96 trillion won and operating income of 1.75 trillion won in the quarter, with profits nearly eight times higher than the same period last year.