According to news reports on the Digitimes website Chinese panel makers, after watching smartphone vendors Oppo, Vivo, GiONEE and Meizu adopt AMOLED panels produced by Samsung Display in 2015 and then both Huawei Technologies and Xiaomi Technology also adopt AMOLED in 2016, have established, or are in the process of establishing, their own AMOLED production capacities, according to industry sources.
The news reports highlights Tianma Micro-electronics, EverDisplay Optronics, BOE Technology, Visionox, Truly Opto-electronics and China Star Optoelectronics Technology making visible progress in establishing manufacturing capacity. Specifically, industry sources provided more details of theses developments:
- Tianma Micro-electronics has started production of AMOLED panels at its Gen-5.5 factory with monthly capacity of 30,000 substrates in Shanghai, eastern China, and will set up flexible AMOLED lines with monthly capacity of 30,000 substrates at its Gen-6 LTPS TFT-LCD factory in Wuhan, central China, with production to begin in second-half 2017.
- EverDisplay Optronics (Shanghai) has begun production of AMOLED panels at a Gen-4.5 factory with monthly capacity of 15,000 substrates and will start production of flexible AMOLED panels in second-quarter 2017. The company will start constructing a Gen-6 AMOLED factory by the end of 2016.
- BOE Technology will start production of HD AMOLED panels at its Gen-5.5 LTPS TFT-LCD factory in northern China in second-quarter 2016, the sources said. BOE Technology is also setting up a Gen-6 AMOLED factory with monthly capacity of 48,000 substrates in Chengdu, western China, with production to kick off in second-quarter 2018.
- Visionox began production at a Gen-5.5 AMOLED factory in the first-quarter 2016.
- Truly Opto-electronics will begin operation of a Gen-4.5 AMOLED production line with monthly capacity of 30,000 substrates in second-quarter 2016 and plans to set up a Gen-6 AMOLED factory, the sources noted.
- China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT) will add production of AMOLED panels at an Gen-8.5 LCD plant and a Gen-6 LTPS TFT-LCD line. The company plans to set up a Gen-6 AMOLED factory, with production to begin in 2019.
According to Chinese Sigmaintell Consulting, Chinese vendors will ship 88 million smartphones equipped with AMOLED display panels in 2016, accounting for 19% of all smartphones to be shipped by Chinese vendors. Chinese makers' combined AMOLED production capacity will account for 37% of global total in 2018.