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OLED Panels for Smartphones Are Getting Bigger, Higher Density and Will Soon Contribute to Notch Elimination
Virtually all OLED smartphone displays released in the first half of 2021 had a diagonal of 6 inches or higher, according to UBI Research. Of the 122 OLED smartphones released in the first six months of 2021 119 used 6 to 7 inch displays a 97.5% share, compared to 78% in 2018. The Asus Zenfone 8 was the only one below 6” (at 5.9” display), the Sony Xperia 10 III is exactly at 6.0”. On the other end of the scale are the Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold and Huawei Mate X2, the only models with 8.0” OLED panels. There were no 7” models (the Z Fold3 will get into that category in the 2nd half).
The majority of phones (64 models or 52.5% share) had a pixel density in the 400-500 ppi range, followed by 48 models with sub-400 ppi displays. Only 10 were above 500 ppi and the Sony Xperia 1 II topped the charts with the 643 ppi density in its 4K-class display (although it was released in late 2020).
Virtually all OLED smartphone displays released in the first half of 2021 had a diagonal of 6 inches or higher, according to UBI Research. Of the 122 OLED smartphones released in the first six months of 2021 119 used 6 to 7 inch displays a 97.5% share, compared to 78% in 2018. The Asus Zenfone 8 was the only one below 6” (at 5.9” display), the Sony Xperia 10 III is exactly at 6.0”. On the other end of the scale are the Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold and Huawei Mate X2, the only models with 8.0” OLED panels. There were no 7” models (the Z Fold3 will get into that category in the 2nd half).
The majority of phones (64 models or 52.5% share) had a pixel density in the 400-500 ppi range, followed by 48 models with sub-400 ppi displays. Only 10 were above 500 ppi and the Sony Xperia 1 II topped the charts with the 643 ppi density in its 4K-class display (although it was released in late 2020).
Most models (88.5%) had a screen-to-body ratio of 80-90%, with a few (11.5%) going above 90% STB ratio. There were no phones where the OLED display took less than 80% of the front. The Huawei Mate 40 Pro 4G phone had the highest STB ratio – 94.1%. The majority of models (103) feature a punch hole, a few (13) have a notch and 6 placed the camera on the bezel. There are no Under Panel Cameras in this list as the only one available was the Axon 20 5G launched last year. The Axon 30 5G is expected later this month and the Samsung Z Fold 3 with an UPC should be announced in August.
Bloomberg agreed with our report of last week that at Apple will increase its iPhone production for its 2021 models. Based on details from supply chain partners, Apple has already 20% more iPhones planned compared to last year’s launch for a total of 90 million units during the initial period. Despite the global chipset shortage, Apple’s supply chain remains unaffected and key partners like TSMC have already planned their orders in advance. The launch date for the upcoming iPhones is rumored to take place in September. Apple’s building on strong momentum from the iPhone 12 release in 2020 and may continue to benefit from 5G smartphone upgrades and an overall improved smartphone market to follow that up with another strong release.
Sigmaintell Consulting reported quotes for 6.52-inch a-Si cell panel prices will fall to US$4.40 in July from the previous US$4.60 due to a slowdown in order pull-ins from the handset makers. CINNO Research has also forecast that the prices of 6.2x-inch a-Si panels and 6.5x-inch a-Si and LTPS panels will all edge down US$0.10 in July.
The sources noted that Taiwan-based small- to medium-size panel makers Giantplus Technology and HannStar Display both suffered a setback in revenues in June due to falling panel demand and weakening panel prices.
The smallest flagship for Android users is probably the Asus Zenfone 8 with a 5.9-inch display. The Meizu 18 with a 6.2-inch display is also another option. However, there is no recent flagship from Xiaomi with a small display. The smallest and most recent Xiaomi smartphone is probably the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE with a 5.97-inch display and this device is two years old.
Xiaomi will also launch a new flagship Android phone with a clamshell design similar to the Galaxy Z Filp3. According to DSCC’s Ross Young, Xiaomi will launch three foldable smartphones in 2021, an external foldable phone, an internal foldable phone, and a clamshell phone. The Mi 9 SE comes with a Snapdragon 712 processor and this device is a 2021 mid-range. In addition, the classic Xiaomi Mi 6 uses a 5.15-inch eye protection screen and uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 flagship processor. Although the 4-year old is not competitive with current phones, its resell value is higher than that of the Xiaomi Mi 8. Clam shell designs have been patented by Samsung and Motorola, Xiaomi, and Huawei. Earlier this month, there were reports that Xiaomi has a new patent with number “CN306654732S”. The application date for the patent is April 2020.
Sigmaintell Consulting reported quotes for 6.52-inch a-Si cell panel prices will fall to US$4.40 in July from the previous US$4.60 due to a slowdown in order pull-ins from the handset makers. CINNO Research has also forecast that the prices of 6.2x-inch a-Si panels and 6.5x-inch a-Si and LTPS panels will all edge down US$0.10 in July.
The sources noted that Taiwan-based small- to medium-size panel makers Giantplus Technology and HannStar Display both suffered a setback in revenues in June due to falling panel demand and weakening panel prices.
The smallest flagship for Android users is probably the Asus Zenfone 8 with a 5.9-inch display. The Meizu 18 with a 6.2-inch display is also another option. However, there is no recent flagship from Xiaomi with a small display. The smallest and most recent Xiaomi smartphone is probably the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE with a 5.97-inch display and this device is two years old.
Xiaomi will also launch a new flagship Android phone with a clamshell design similar to the Galaxy Z Filp3. According to DSCC’s Ross Young, Xiaomi will launch three foldable smartphones in 2021, an external foldable phone, an internal foldable phone, and a clamshell phone. The Mi 9 SE comes with a Snapdragon 712 processor and this device is a 2021 mid-range. In addition, the classic Xiaomi Mi 6 uses a 5.15-inch eye protection screen and uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 flagship processor. Although the 4-year old is not competitive with current phones, its resell value is higher than that of the Xiaomi Mi 8. Clam shell designs have been patented by Samsung and Motorola, Xiaomi, and Huawei. Earlier this month, there were reports that Xiaomi has a new patent with number “CN306654732S”. The application date for the patent is April 2020.