Display makers LG, Samsung gear up for OLED gaming monitor boom

South Korea’s two largest panel makers – LG Display Co. and Samsun Display Co. – are bracing for a gaming monitor boom as gamers worldwide are increasingly looking for larger and clearer screens with rapid response times for an immersive gaming experience.

According to market researcher Omdia, shipments of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels for monitors are expected to rise fourfold to 800,000 units this year from 160,000 units in 2022.

Such panel shipments are forecast to rise further to 2.77 million units next year – a threefold increase from this year.

The decent growth will be led by gaming OLED monitors, which are expected to rise fivefold in 2023 from last year.

The proportion of OLED panel-equipped monitors among all gaming monitors will steadily rise from 7% in 2022 to 32.1% in 2023, 54% in 2024 and 61% in 2025, according to Omdia.

OLED screens are rapidly replacing traditional liquid crystal display (LCD) panels in gaming monitors as OLED’s response time is much faster than LCD's while providing clear images with a three-dimensional effect.

The response time is important to gaming as a faster response time reduces input lag. This ensures that every move a game player makes on the controller is displayed instantly on the screen.

Game publishers are also launching high-end and graphically demanding games, boosting sales of high-performance, big-screen displays.

SAMSUNG’S ODYSSEY OLED G9

Samsung Electronics Co., Korea’s top TV maker, said on Monday it is unveiling its latest gaming monitor, the Odyssey OLED G9, the world’s first such monitor with dual quad high definition or QHD resolution.

The monitor panels are supplied by affiliate Samsung Display, which focuses on quantum-dot (QD) OLED gaming monitor panels with sizes ranging from 34 to 49 inches.

LG Display in January showcased its new 45-inch ultra-wide OLED panels and 27-inch OLED panels optimized for gaming at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

LG is supplying the new products to gaming monitor makers, including its affiliate LG Electronics Inc., Taiwan’s AUSTek Computer Inc. and US-based Corsair Gaming Inc.

At CES 2023, LG’s OLED monitors were well-received by gamers thanks to their flexible display features.

“Gamers are willing to spend more on high-performance products. OLED is often called a dream display as it offers a sharp image quality as well as a faster response time,” said an industry official.

Analysts said OLED panels, usually three to five times more expensive than LCD panels, will likely boost earnings of display makers, including LG and Samsung.

Write to Ik-Hwan Kim at lovepen@hankyung.com

In-Soo Nam edited this article.