LONDON — Global shipments of OLED displays for use in mobile phones are expected to rise by a factor of eight from 2009 to 2015, up from 22.2 million units now to 178 million units in 2015, according to market trackers at iSuppli.
Despite such growth, OLEDs will still only account for a small percentage of total main mobile-handset displays in the coming years, rising to 6 percent of total unit shipments in 2013, up from 2 percent in 2009.
The only factors limiting greater penetration are said to be that the AM- OLED market has only a couple of suppliers and a limited number of factories.
"AM-OLEDs deliver superior-quality images compared to conventional LCDs, especially in terms of contrast and response times," said Vinita Jakhanwal, principal analyst, small/medium displays, for iSuppli. ""They also consume less power, extending battery life."
Nokia's new N85 represents the new breed of handsets with relatively large OLED primary displays arriving in the market, notes Jakhanwal. The N85 sports a 2.6-inch diagonal AM-OLED with a pixel format of 240 by 320.
An iSuppli teardown of the N85 estimates the cost of the AM-OLED at $7.05, compared to $6.50 for an LCD of equivalent size and resolution.
Other new phones equipped with AM-OLED main displays include Samsung's Impression and i8000 Omnia II.
While some cell phones with OLEDs have been introduced in the past, Jakhanwal said most of these deployed Passive-Matrix (PM-OLED) technology and working as secondary screens, due to the inherent size and resolution limitations of PM-OLED displays.
Pixel formats of QVGA, wQVGA and higher can be achieved in AM-OLEDs, making them suitable for larger main displays in mobile phones, Jakhanwal added, and recent price reductions as well as yield improvements have made AM-OLEDs economical in this application.
Because of this, main cell phone displays are expected to surpass secondary screens as the highest-volume application for OLEDs starting in 2010, and will maintain their lead through 2015, suggest the market researchers.
Global unit shipments of OLEDs for the main displays of cell phones will grow at a 41.4 percent CAGR between 2009 to 2015, compared to 8 percent for 2009 to 2013 for all types of displays for handsets, says iSuppli.
Related Articles:
< a href="http://eetimes.eu/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=219500416">Liquid-OLED could boost flexible displays, e-readers
AMOLEDS display strong growth patterns
Analyst: Mobile phone segments set for smart rebound
