Apple Orders Keep Samsung On Top Of All-Screen Display Shipments

Samsung is keeping its lead in all-screen display shipments for the rest of the year. Its rivals do not even come close to half of the shipments the South Korea tech giant is making this 2017.

On Wednesday, DigiTimes learned from market research firm Sigmaintell that Samsung Display, the display-focused division of Samsung, is expected to ship a total of 137 million units of all-screen display panels. This means the company’s shipments are accounting for more than half of the nearly 200 million all-screen display shipments for 2017.

The large amount of shipments is mainly thanks to Apple and Samsung Electronics. The former is using Samsung Display’s OLED panels for its newest flagship handset, the iPhone X. Meanwhile, Samsung is using almost bezel-less Infinity Displays for its Galaxy S8, S8 Plus and Galaxy Note 8 flagship phones. Given that all four handsets are seeing strong demand from consumers in many markets, it should not come as a surprise why Samsung is keeping its lead this 2017.

The latest market research report also revealed that Samsung Display’s rivals are not shipping just as many all-screen panels this year. China-based Tianma Micro-electronics apparently ranked second by shipping 24 million units for a 10 percent share. AU Optronics (AUO), on the other hand, came in third with 17 million units, while BOE Technology snagged the fourth spot with 12 million units.

The report also indicated that shipments of large-size all-screen panels, specifically the 5.7-inch HD+ (1440x720p) and 5.99-inch FHD+ (2160x1080p) models, have already started gaining momentum. So analysts are now expecting an increase in number of smartphones with these displays.

Given that major smartphone makers are already aggressively adopting the all-screen display technology for their flagships, the total global all-screen smartphone shipments is now expected to climb to 40 percent in the following year, according to the latest industry estimate.

Though Samsung Display could be doing well, Samsung’s mobile division could see a decline in its market share next year. As previously reported, Strategy Analytics said earlier this month that the South Korea tech giant could see a dip in its market share because of the Cupertino giant and its Chinese rivals — Huawei, Oppo and Xiaomi.

Samsung is predicted to incur a 20.5 percent market share with 319 million shipments of its Galaxy Phones. However, analysts are anticipating a decrease in the company’s market share to 19.2 percent with 315 million units in 2018. On the other hand, Apple is expected to obtain 14.3 percent market share in the following year because shipments of its iPhones are predicted to reach 234 million instead of the previously estimated 218 million units.

As for the Chinese manufacturers, their market shares are expected to improve because they are solidifying their presence in emerging markets such as India and China. Many consumers in these markets are drawn to purchasing their more affordable yet premium quality smartphones than buying the very costly flagships from Samsung and Apple.