Sony is suspending OLED TV production as sales slump. The Japanese manufacturer is instead turning their sights to 4K LCD TVs as they are less expensive to manufacturer and sell at much lower prices compared to OLED TVs, reports Japan’s Nikkei. Half of the TV sets Sony intends to launch on the market next year include 4K sets.
Sony’s abandonment of OLED manufacturing can be chalked up to cost. OLED TV sets are vastly more expensive than 4K LCDs to produce and to sell. Sony has also been unable to compete with other large manufacturers in the OLED industry including LG Electronics and Samsung. Last December, Sony announced the cancelation of its partnership with Panasonic on OLED production and that the two companies instead would focus on LCD-based systems.
Nikkei adds that Sony’s change in strategy will have a blow to the company’s workforce, which must be reduced by around 20 percent in their consumer electronics division. Employees in the company’s OLED division will be distributed to other areas within the company.