BOE: The first product of the 8.6-generation OLED production line has been sent for sample verification

On April 2, BOE revealed at its 2025 performance briefing that the company’s 8.6-generation OLED production line has actively promoted cooperation projects with well-known domestic and foreign customers in notebooks, tablets, mobile phones and other fields, and the first product is currently being sent for sample verification. BOE also stated that the company’s first-phase evaporation machine of the 8.6-generation line is currently undergoing equipment debugging, production process testing and customer sample preparation in accordance with the established plan.

BOE plans to achieve mass production of its 8th generation OLED production line in the second half of 2026, and is currently focusing on customer-facing sample verification and process stabilization.

Compared with the 6th generation production line, which is mainly for smartphones, the 8.6th generation OLED production line has a larger substrate size, so it is more suitable for producing panels for medium-sized IT equipment such as laptops and tablets. BOE predicts that the penetration rate of tablet OLED panels will increase from about 4% in 2025 to 9% in 2028, while the penetration rate of laptop OLED panels will increase from 5% to 14% in the same period.

BOE believes that 2026 to 2027 is the transition window period for medium-sized OLED panels to move from "testing the water" to "main coverage".

Regarding OLED demand, BOE pointed out that the growth rate has slowed down. In response to questions about the supply and demand prospects of LCD and OLED, BOE Vice Chairman and CEO Feng Qiang said: "The demand for flexible OLED smartphone panels last year was 668 million pieces, and is expected to reach approximately 675 million pieces this year. The flexible OLED market may experience quarterly fluctuations this year; the first half of the year will be a period of price decline, and the second half of the year will gradually stabilize."

In 2025, BOE's flexible AMOLED product shipments will exceed 150 million pieces, a year-on-year increase of approximately 8%. In 2026, the company's goal is to still maintain overall shipment growth. Based on current market judgment, the shipment target is set at 160 million pieces, and the shipment target in 2028 is set at 200 million pieces.

At the briefing, BOE also released a specific forecast for the LCD market: due to storage shortages and pressure from price increases, the demand for various applications has been affected to varying degrees, and the demand for LCD panels is expected to decline throughout the year. Except for TVs, which are greatly affected by storage shortages and lack of brand confidence, shipment targets are relatively conservative, and panel demand is expected to decline year-on-year.

LCD panel price trend: Driven by event preparations, memory chip shortages and price increase expectations, the prices of mainstream TV sizes increased in the first quarter. In the second quarter, as event preparations ended, the price increase may converge to the same level; in the first quarter of the display, brands are worried about Korean and Taiwanese manufacturers reducing supply. Supply is insufficient, and the purchasing momentum still exists. However, panel manufacturers are actively raising prices due to poor monitor profitability. In the second quarter, affected by TV price trends, price increases are under pressure. In the first quarter, laptop brands have increasingly demanded panel price reductions, and prices continue to fall. It is expected to stop falling and remain flat from the second quarter.

In terms of cooperation, BOE will increase its cooperation with Samsung VD in 2025, and TV panel shipments will increase by about 100%. Both parties remain optimistic about the cooperation in 2026, and are expected to still see significant growth.