AMOLED revenues surge in 2011

The year 2011 was pivotal for OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays, particularly AMOLED (active matrix OLED) displays.

With strong growth in smartphones, AMOLED shipments are estimated to have reached 90 million units in 2011, up 97% Y/Y, while revenue is expected to grow to US$3.36 billion, up 169% Y/Y, according to the latest NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Small/Medium Shipment and Forecast Report.

As it competes with TFT LCDs, AMOLED penetration into the small/medium (9″ and smaller) display market has been increasing. In 2010, AMOLEDs had 6% share of small/medium active matrix flat panel displays (TFT LCD and AMOLED) and was expected to double its share to 12% in 2011.

The growth of AMOLED in the small/medium segment is dominated by smartphones. Revenues for this segment more than doubled in 2011, with increasing shipments and higher ASPs due to larger screen sizes and increased display performance.

The success of AMOLED can particularly be seen in larger smartphone displays. In the first three quarters of 2011, shipments of AMOLED displays 3.5″ and larger for smart phones reached 59.7 million units, up three-fold from the same period in 2010.

Samsung’s Galaxy range of smartphones has been the leading adopter of AMOLED displays with high contrast and motion picture response time, while Apple’s iPhone uses a high-resolution TFT LCD with IPS technology. The competition between the iPhone and Galaxy has brought increased attention to the AMOLED displays, currently produced only by Samsung Mobile Display.