As Samsung is preparing to unveil its newest flagship device in the M series next year, reports have revealed today that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy M54 will use BOE and China Star Optoelectronics’s OLED panel. According to the report, the OLED panel for Samsung’s Galaxy M54 next year is rumored to be developed by Chinese panel makers BOE and China Star Optoelectronics.
Samsung’s Galaxy M series is positioned as an economical mobile phone in Southeast Asia and will be the first to use panels manufactured by Huaxing Optoelectronics. The mid-range Galaxy A series, which has an annual shipment of 30 million to 40 million units, is still more popular despite the Samsung Galaxy M series having sold several million copies.
As a result, Samsung plans to negotiate lower prices with Chinese panel makers. However, it is unclear whether Samsung Display would also produce OLED panels. This year, Samsung Display and BOE jointly developed and supplied OLED panels for the previous-generation Galaxy M53, and more BOE panels were used than Samsung Display.
Meanwhile, it should be noted that the shipments of Samsung mobile phones have been declining lately. Shipments exceeded 300 million units in 2019, but they have been falling over the last few years and are now below 300 million. Samsung will utilize more expensive rigid OLEDs for low-end smartphones and flexible OLED panels for high-end handsets.
Along with the drop in Samsung’s mobile phone shipments, rigid OLED shipments from Samsung Display kept declining. According to rumors, Samsung recently announced intentions to switch the Galaxy A24’s LCD panel to an OLED one in 2019. Samsung Display will supply the panel, and 20 million units are anticipated to be shipped.
