TrendForce’s latest report reveals a robust start to 2024 for OLED monitors, with shipments reaching approximately 200,000 units in the first quarter—marking a YoY growth of 121%.
TrendForce’s latest findings reveal global monitor shipments declined 7.3% in 2023 down to 125 million units—a figure below pre-pandemic levels. Looking ahead to 2024, given the low shipment base in 2023, alongside the potential for a gradual economic recovery and the typical 4 to 5-year PC replacement cycle, PCs purchased during the pandemic are expected to be upgraded between the second half of 2024 and 2025. This is anticipated to drive a 2% increase in global monitor shipments in 2024, reaching approximately 128 million units.
TrendForce reports that the ever-expanding dimensions of OLED products, combined with the ambitious plans of several top-tier brands, mean that 2023 could see OLED monitor shipments hitting a staggering 508,000 units—an astronomical YoY surge of 323%.
TrendForce reports that in the first quarter of 2023, global shipments of LCD monitors fell 7.4% QoQ to 28.8 million units, marking a YoY decline of 20.5%. Major brands, including Dell, HP, and Lenovo, experienced significant drops in shipment levels, falling by 15.6%, 22.8%, and 19.2% respectively.
TrendForce’s latest research revealed that shipments of gaming monitors have seen their first decline since 2016 due to high inflation, resulting in only 19.8 million units being shipped in 2022 for a 13% YoY decline.
TrendForce projects that LCD monitor shipments will return to the pre-pandemic level, coming to around 127 million units and registering a YoY decline of about 5.8%.
According to the latest TrendForce research, shipments of gaming monitors are in decline for the first time since the product category was launched to market, with 2022 estimates lowered to 20.5 million units, a 10% drop YoY. The primary reasons for this downgrade are intensifying inflation in Europe and spiking interest rates in North America which have upset and displaced demand for consumer electronics products. In addition, delays in launching high-end graphics cards has also led some e-sports consumers to consider postponing purchases.
According to TrendForce research, global LCD monitor shipments reached 72.3 million units in 1H22, a level on par with to the same period in 2021. Certain whole devices orders in 4Q21 were deferred to 1Q22 due to logistics and transportation issues. In addition, some brands felt optimistic regarding the outlook for 2022, so they initiated aggressive promotions to stimulate sales in 1Q22. Although the Russian-Ukrainian war and rising inflation have seriously impacted demand in the European consumer market since Q2, demand for business models is still positive, which in turn bridges the gap left by the consumer market.
According to the latest TrendForce research, although factors such as panel and component mismatch and supply issues and the fading effects of the stay-at-home economy influenced shipments of e-sports LCD monitors (defined as refresh rates above 100Hz) in 2021, many brands targeted e-sports LCD monitors in 4Q21 with a strategy of aggressively reducing e-sports product pricing to prompt a volume surge and successfully boosted shipments of e-sports LCD monitors to 22.8 million units in 2021, with an annual growth rate of 24%. However, growth momentum will slow in 2022. In addition to long lead times, the most significant variable remains the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war. If the war continues, it will impair European market demand and affect the shipment performance of e-sports-related products. In addition, the Russian-Ukrainian war has triggered a surge in the prices of crude oil, metal, and agricultural commodities, spiking previously growing inflationary pressure. Thus, TrendForce conservatively estimates shipments of e-sports LCD monitors at 26.1 million units in 2022, with an annual growth rate of 14%.
