The gradual technical maturation of narrow bezels means a higher screen-to-body ratio and wider, thinner laptops. With this change in the physical appearance of laptops, manufacturers are once again looking to incorporate panels with a 16:10 aspect ratio. Despite Apple's longstanding adoption of 16:10 and the aspect ratio's once-popularity in Windows laptops, global market intelligence provider TrendForce projects a <2% share of 16:10 screens in the non-Apple laptop market due to adoption rate, impact to consumers, and a need for panel makers to optimize cuts made to the mother glass.
According to the latest analysis from the WitsView research division of TrendForce, reduced panel shipment is causing the demand for flat-panel display driver IC to undergo a corresponding decline. The 2019 YoY growth for total adoption is projected to be -3.2%, which marks the first instance of negative growth in recent years. The space for shipment growth in 2020 is likely also limited.
According to the latest analysis from the WitsView research division of TrendForce, the share of devices featuring AMOLED panels is expected to grow from 32.8% in 2019 to 38.0% in 2020 in the global smartphone marketplace, in response to an ever-increasing production capacity and smartphone makers’ willingness to adopt the technology. In contrast, the market share of LTPS-equipped devices is expected to drop from 41.3% down to 38.6%. The market shares for AMOLED- and LTPS-equipped devices are roughly even, with the former possibly taking the lead in the future.
According to WitsView, a division of TrendForce, its latest survey showed that TV panel prices generally have been lower than the cash costs. Thus, panel makers' loss of money has continually expanded. Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese panel makers all started to lower their utilization rates (UT) of TV panel products from September on, in order to improve the severely unbalanced supply and demand and stabilize the prices.
According to WitsView, a division of TrendForce, its latest survey pointed out that TV panel prices had significantly dropped for 4 consecutive months since May. Prices of more than half of size segments have lowered to below cash costs.