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Hardware·2 min read

Samsung Display, BOE Weigh Low-End HD OLED Panels for Phones

Samsung Display and BOE are considering HD-resolution OLED panels to replace LCDs in budget phones and lift utilization at OLED lines as shipments fall.

Close-up of a budget smartphone with an OLED display on a panel production line backdrop.
Image: zdnet.co.kr
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Samsung Display and BOE are weighing the development of HD-resolution OLED panels (720 pixels on the short side) for entry-level smartphones. The aim is to add a cheaper OLED tier to their lineups and raise utilization at OLED production lines while the smartphone market shrinks, according to industry sources.

Samsung Display, BOE and Tianma are reportedly in talks with phone makers such as Oppo and Vivo about supplying HD OLED. The target is to replace panels in budget phones that still use HD LCDs. Today even low-cost OLED phones generally use FHD (1,080 pixels on the short side) or higher; Samsung's budget Galaxy A18 uses an FHD+ (1080x2340) OLED.

Weak market, rising costs

An industry official said falling smartphone demand has pushed down OLED line utilization, prompting several panel makers to discuss HD OLED. Memory chip prices have surged since the second half of last year, raising manufacturing costs. Omdia recently forecast that global smartphone shipments this year will drop 12% from a year earlier to 1.097 billion units.

Of those, about 100 million HD LCD phones are seen as the first candidates for replacement with HD OLED. Securing large volumes would help panel makers lift utilization and ease fixed-cost burdens.

The pricing gap

Oppo and Vivo are reportedly asking for HD OLED at roughly the price of existing HD LCDs, while also requesting newer OLED material sets where possible. For panel makers, pairing newer materials with an HD panel could push the product into a loss.

A deal will therefore depend on both sides finding common ground on price and specifications. Samsung Display is reportedly considering producing the panels on a rigid OLED line, while BOE and others are looking at flexible OLED lines.

HD OLED is rarely used in current phones. Samsung's Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 in 2012 were flagship examples, and FHD OLED arrived with the Galaxy S4 in 2013. The Galaxy S26 Ultra, launched in the first half of 2026, uses a QHD+ (1440x3120) OLED.

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Tags:samsung displayboeoledsmartphoneoppovivo

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