1. Low-end mobile phone panels are out of stock: 4-inch and 4.5-inch TFT panel prices hit a new high;
2. Not only TV panels, panels are very prosperous in the third quarter;
3. BOE challenged to stop investing in LCD panels and strive for OLED;
4. Affected by the panel, the price of some LeTV TVs has increased;
5. LGD's investment in small and medium-sized OLEDs expects to turn losses into profits
1. Low-end mobile phone panels are out of stock: 4-inch and 4.5-inch TFT panel prices hit a new high;
According to the micronet news, WitsView said on the 18th that low-end smart phone panels have been favored by brand customers with their high cost-effective advantages. Given the limited supply of panels, the prices of 4-inch and 4.5-inch TFT panels reached a record high in September, with an increase of more than 50 percent .
WitsView said yesterday that high-end smartphones have encountered insufficient innovation, unclear product positioning, and even serious quality defects this year. Therefore, some brand customers have turned to strengthen the shipments of low-end and mid-end smartphones, causing the original poor gross profit and being beaten by panel manufacturers. The rise of low-end smart phone panels entering the cold palace has become a weapon for brand customers to maintain their shipment momentum.
WitsView said that at present low-resolution TFT panels such as 4 and 4.5 inches, only Caijing, Shenchao, and Longteng Optoelectronics still maintain a large production supply. Due to limited supply, the price of low-resolution panels reached a record high in September, with the TFTs of 4-inch WVGA and 4.5-inch FWVGA rising by more than 50 percent .
Due to the shortage of 5-inch HD TFT panels, white-brand customers in southern China have replaced HD with 5-inch FWVGA, which also caused FWVGA prices to remain high. At the same time, the price of feature phone panels has also risen. The price of 2.4-inch QVGA TFT panels in September has exceeded US1.5.
In addition, it is rumored that BOE and CLP Panda's 8.5-generation line are preparing to produce small-size smart phone panels. Although 5-inch and 5.5-inch HD TFT panels have heard a 30 percent price increase in September, the current market is still showing Wait and see the situation.
2. Not only TV panels, panels are very prosperous in the third quarter;
Panel makers are clamoring that the demand for panels in the third quarter is strong. How strong is it? Qiu Yubin, senior associate of research institute WitsView, pointed out that not only is the demand for TV panels, but also for information electronic panels such as laptops and LCD monitors.
Innolux and AUO, the two largest panel manufacturers in Taiwan, coincided with each other. They both revealed at the Touch Taiwan Expo at the end of August that the demand for panels in the second half of this year has increased, and the supply is in short supply for the first time in 20 years.
Entering the third season is the traditional peak season for the panel industry. Generally, we are more optimistic about the October holiday in Mainland China and the popular Black Friday sales period before Thanksgiving in Europe and America.
Qiu Yubin said that the market expected that the supply of panels in the third quarter would be in short supply, mainly for TV panels, but now even panels for information and electronic products are in high demand. Although demand for TV panels is still in the fourth quarter, demand for panels for information and electronics may show signs of weakening.
He believes that because Samsung's 7th-generation line is expected to be closed early next year, the supply of TV panels in the 40-inch range in the first half of next year will be tighter and prices will be better. There is still a chance for TV panel demand to remain vigorous.
As for the mobile phone panel, he expects that the fourth quarter is the high point of this year's demand, but then weakened. At this stage, the low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) panel, which is dominated by the high-end mobile phone panel market, will be launched in the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year due to the production capacity of new production lines, which may cause oversupply in the first quarter of next year.
According to his analysis, LTPS panels are mainly supplied for mobile phones, and the demand for tablets remains to be seen, but laptops with LTPS panels should be expected to appear in the first quarter of next year.
