Almost 50 per cent of smartphones sold globally in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023 came with OLED screens, says a new report by Counterpoint Research. The share of OLED display smartphones in global smartphone sales hit a record high of 49 per cent in Q1, according to Counterpoint Research’s Global Handset Model Sales Tracker. The share of smartphones sold with OLED displays was 29 per cent in Q1 2020.
The screen or display has been one of the main factors influencing consumers to purchase a smartphone.
OLED displays provide a better viewing experience than LCD when it comes to several aspects such as offering better viewing angles, deeper blacks and increased battery life, among other features. Brands also pushed OLED displays as a differentiating factor due to the leaner and more flexible panels that allow slimmer phones with curved displays in mid-priced and premium segments. Notably, the share of OLED displays in the above $250 wholesale price band reached 94 per cent in Q1.
Counterpoint Research predicts that going forward, smartphones will increasingly adopt OLED, which will cross the 50 per cent mark, driven primarily by the launch of the new iPhone lineup in the fall. The increasing popularity of foldable smartphones, which are all equipped with flexible OLED displays, will also be a contributing factor. Samsung is expected to refresh its Galaxy Fold and Flip lineup next month.
Even as 5G is advancing, LTE still accounted for over 40 per cent of the total market with a higher presence in price-sensitive developing economies. The use of OLED displays in LTE smartphones has almost halved over the past three years as iPhones, which use OLED, have shifted to 5G, leaving the LTE market mostly to Android devices, which mostly use LCD.
The best-selling LTE devices are all entry-level Android smartphones that are mostly equipped with LCD displays. This has played a major role in dampening OLED demand.
