The market for glass-based AMOLED displays is expected to reach almost US $23 billion in 2022. In an effort to adapt to new market conditions both Samsung and LG Display are now ramping up production capacity of plastic-based OLED displays, for which IDTechEx forecasts the market will nearly double next year from $1.5 billion in 2015 to $2.9 billion in 2016.

The market for plastic-based OLED displays is not reaching its full potential – largely because demand for the Samsung S6 Edge was higher than anticipated but there was not enough supply of the curved plastic displays. Also, the market for glass-based OLED displays is not growing as rapidly as previously expected and prices are likely to fall faster because of the competition from manufacturers in China. This means that OLED technology is in danger of being commoditized, in a scenario following the same pattern as LCD panels. That is driving the Korean manufacturers to invest more in plastic and flexible OLED displays.

Compared to conventional glass-based displays, plastic OLED panels are much thinner and lighter, enabling either slimmer devices or bigger batteries. The two main applications will be smart phones and wearable devices such as smart watches. However, as the technology matures it will be possible to use those displays in other types of devices. When adding other segments such as tablets and automotive displays, the total market for plastic and flexible OLED will be over $16 billion by 2020.

IDTechEx has been tracking printed, organic, and flexible electronics since 2001. The report OLED Display Forecasts 2015-2025: The Rise of Plastic and Flexible Displays gives a unique perspective on the OLED display market, leveraging the full expertise of analysts and direct interviews with companies in the value chain. Based on a deep understanding of the technology roadmap and the existing bottlenecks, detailed ten-year market forecasts are provided for eight market segments covering consumer electronics, automotive/aerospace, wearable electronics, microdisplays and more.

In addition it includes:

·         Detailed ten-year forecasts by display type.

·         Listing of OLED material suppliers by country.

·         Technologies and players in the OLED value chain.

·         The latest progress on printed OLEDs.

For more information about the report visit www.IDTechEx.com/displays.