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The latest smartphone market research by TrendForce shows that global sales have been fairly tepid in the first half of 2017. Besides the traditional off season effects, consumers have held off purchases in anticipation of future products with more exciting features. Still, total smartphone production volume for this year’s first half expanded by 7% compared with first half of the prior year, totaling nearly 650 million units. Collectively, Chinese brands posted a year-on-year growth in their production volume during these six months, while non-Chinese brands together recorded a year-on-year decrease.
The latest research by WitsView, a division of TrendForce, finds the global shipments of LCD TV panels totaled 123.35 million units for the first half of 2017, amounting to a tiny dip of 0.1% compared with the same period a year ago. Since Samsung Display (SDC) closed its Gen-7 fab L7-1 at the end of 2016, TV brands since the first quarter have been vigilant against the supply tightening in the mid-size segments and kept stocking up. Their demand was strong enough to offset the traditional seasonal effect during the year’s first half.
The overall production capacity for large-size LCD panels rose above the expected level in the first half of 2017 despite seasonal headwinds, according to research by WitsView, a division of TrendForce. Panel suppliers actually found their processing lines fully loaded and were compelled to make some of their newly added production capacity available ahead of schedule. WitsView estimates that the global production capacity for large-size LCD panels in terms of total glass input area will increase by 5.8% annually in 2017 to reach 218.3 million square meters. This figure is 0.3 percentage point above an earlier estimate. Supply will become an important factor in determining the course of the panel market during second half of 2017, especially in the fourth quarter.
The confirmation of Samsung Display (SDC) being Apple’s AMOLED panel supplier for the upcoming iPhone devices has spurred other smartphone brands and panel makers to aggressively invest in this display technology. The latest display market forecast by WitsView, a division of TrendForce, finds that AMOLED is set to become mainstream in the global smartphone market in the near future with the penetration rate reaching to almost 50% by 2020.
LG Display (LGD) suffered a serious disruption to its production of large-size LCD panels on June 24, when a deadly accident occurred at its P8-1 panel fab in Paju, South Korea. The Gen-8.5 has been shut down for repair and investigation by the local authorities. WitsView, a division of TrendForce, states that this incident will have a major impact on the supply of large-size panels in the third quarter. While panel quotes have softened during the second quarter, the third quarter will see a return of seasonal demand from device vendors. The accident at P8-1 will contribute to a tightening of the supply and help prop up prices to some extent.
