Samsung Display apparently struggling with QD-OLED production

Samsung QD-OLED
(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung is experiencing production issues with its new QD-OLED displays, reports The Elec (via hdtvtest).

The Korean news outlet reckons the main obstacle is the "low production yield rate of the panels... around 30% currently". That doesn't sound like a great strike rate to be fair.

Samsung Display is said to be considering investing in production with a view to boosting yield rates, but is rumoured  to be "holding off" until such times as it can properly gauge "customer reaction to QD-OLED".

The Elec's Sources say that even if Samsung Display does throw a big bundle of cash at the problem, QD-OLED capacity could "remain limited at 30,000 Gen 8.5 substrates monthly until the end of 2023" (it can take many months to expand production, apparently). 

Not familiar with QD-OLED? The new tech aims to combine the dark, saturated blacks of OLED with the vivid contrast of Quantum Dots. Here's our QD-OLED explainer, if you want chapter and verse. 

Samsung officially officially started mass production of QD-OLED panels in late 2021, almost two years after the company announced an $11 billion investment in the tech.

The first QD-OLED TV debuted at January's Consumer Electronics Show. The Sony Master Series A95K QD-OLED, which is due out in the first half of 2022, uses a Samsung Display panel. Samsung's own QD-OLED TV has been leaked but not officially announced.

If customers do take to QD-OLED, sources expect Samsung to target a yield rate of 70%, which could allow the firm to churn out one million QD-OLED panels a year (split between TVs and gaming monitors).

Wondering how Samsung's next-gen panel compares to LG's OLED Evo display? Here's a preview of two upcoming flagship TVs: Sony A94K QD-OLED vs LG G2 OLED Evo TV.

MORE:

LG 2022 TV lineup: everything you need to know

QD-OLED TV: everything you need to know about the game-changing new TV tech

The Sony 2022 TV line-up

Tom is a journalist, copywriter and content designer based in the UK. He has written articles for T3, ShortList, The Sun, The Mail on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph, Elle Deco, The Sunday Times, Men's Health, Mr Porter, Oracle and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include mobile technology, electric vehicles and video streaming.