Samsung extends its agreement with LG for the supply of OLED TV panels

Samsung and LG Display came together for the production of OLED TVs through a historic agreement last year. Despite years of rivalry, Samsung's TV division made the decision to incorporate LG Display's WRGB OLED panels into some of their OLED TVs.

The importance of this alliance cannot be understated, as it marks a significant turning point in their relationship. Recent reports from DigiTimes reveal that Samsung has now extended this partnership for an additional five years. 

Specifically, Samsung DX, the branch responsible for manufacturing and selling televisions under Samsung Electronics, will continue to utilize LG Display's WRGB OLED panels in their products for the next five years. Although Samsung Display, the company's own panel manufacturing unit, is capable of producing QD-OLED panels, it lacks the variety of panel sizes offered by LG Display. To address this gap in supply, Samsung DX has chosen to adopt LG's OLED panels. 

Samsung introduced the 83-inch version of the S95C last year, which utilizes LG's WRGB OLED panel. On the other hand, the 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch versions of the TV employ Samsung Display's QD-OLED panel. 

This year, Samsung has unveiled three new OLED TVs: S85D, S90D, and S95D. It is possible that some of the smaller and larger variants of these TVs may incorporate LG's OLED panels. 

However, it remains uncertain whether Samsung has utilized LG's latest OLED panels with MLA (Micro Lens Array), which enhances brightness levels.

There exists a fundamental differences between the OLED panels manufactured by LG Display and Samsung Display. LG Display's OLED panel employs four sub-pixels—red, green, blue, and white—for each pixel, whereas Samsung's QD-OLED panel utilizes three sub-pixels: red, green, and blue. 

Samsung's panel is capable of showcasing more vibrant colors, as the pixel is not compromised by the white color that is employed as a workaround for increased brightness. Nevertheless, Samsung is relatively new to the OLED TV panel market, and its panels may not exhibit the same level of reliability as LG's panels in certain tests.