According to the research report by WitsView , a divison of TrendForce , on the supply and demand situation for large-sized panels, production capacity expansions by three of China's production lines and the 8.5 Gen production line belonging to Taiwan's AU Optronics have brought about the 202.4 million square-meter supply area in 2018, presenting a growth of 7.9% YoY, the largest since 2013. TV panel demand was driven up by the FIFA fever and profit cuts in the first half-year , while PC panel demand benefited from specification upgrades and the rising demand in gaming, with overall demand area covering 198.5 million square meters, a growth of 9.5% YoY. The glut ratio for the entire 2018 year shrank from the projected 2.4% to 2%.
As smartphone markets become saturated, suppliers look to foldable phones as a potential demand-stimulating design. Samsung and Huawei etc. have put several concept phones on display in MWC 2019. WitsView, a division of TrendForce, holds that foldable phones are still in the stages of market-response observation and product-design adjustment, and predicts for them a meager smartphone market penetration rate of 0.1% in 2019. Foldable phones penetration rates will have to wait until more panel providers join the game and panel costs see significant improvements for a chance to rise above 1% in 2021, and accelerate past 3.4% in 2022.
According to the latest investigation by WitsView, the optoelectronics division of TrendForce, prices have recently dropped below cash costs for some TV panel sizes; for example, 32-inch TV panel quotes have dropped below US$40. As prices are expected to near rock bottom and drop no further, demand of TV brands shall see a gradual return, causing small and medium-sized TV prices to rebound in March.
The latest analysis of the panel market by WitsView, a division of TrendForce, finds that low prices and technological maturation have substantially widened the adoption of LTPS panels among smartphone makers. The share of devices featuring LTPS panels in the global smartphone market is projected to grow from 37.6% in 2018 to 41.6% in 2019. However, panel suppliers have ended large-scale expansions of their production capacity for LTPS panels since they are gradually shifting their technological focus for smartphone displays to AMOLED. On the whole, 2019 is expected to be a year during which the market for LTPS panels will be at its healthiest state in terms of supply and demand.
According to the latest report of WitsView, a division of TrendForce, global shipments of branded TV sets for 2018 totaled 219 million units, an increase of 4.1% compared with prior year, indicating a recovery from weak TV demand in 2017. Looking ahead to 2019, global branded TV shipments are expected to reach 223 million units, an increase of 1.6%
