Apple, Samsung and Meta want Micro OLEDs from Samsung Display - report
If VR and AR headsets become the next big interface, manufacturers may need a lot of micro OLED displays. Samsung Display could supply some of them.
At least that's what sources from the South Korean industry website "The Elec" claim: Allegedly, three tech giants want to order micro OLED displays from Samsung Display. But the display company has to invest first.
Apple, Samsung Electronics and Meta asking for Micro OLED displays
According to The Elec, Samsung Display has received inquiries for micro OLEDs from parent company Samsung Electronics, Apple and Meta. Until now, Samsung Display is said to have avoided micro OLED display manufacturing due to low profitability.
Micro OLED displays, in contrast to LC and conventional OLED displays, are deposited on silicon instead of a glass substrate. They are therefore extremely thin, light, bright and power-saving: all fundamental properties for slim VR and AR headsets. The displays could therefore be an important building block for the next-generation XR headset.
The fact that Samsung Electronics is asking for micro OLED displays is interesting in the context of another rumor: Microsoft is said to have put the Hololens project on hold in its previously known form and is instead working with Samsung on a new tech headset.
This new headset could resemble Meta's Project Cambria and Apple's first standalone headset. The form factor would be that of a VR headset with built-in cameras for an AR mode. According to The Elec, Samsung Display and Samsung SDI were involved in the initiation phase of the project last year.
Micro OLED for Apple: LG is already in the starting blocks
So far, Samsung Display has invested little in micro OLED research and has rather ignored the technology, according to The Elec. The reason for this is the small VR and AR market, for which alternative display technologies are available or being researched - such as MicroLED.
Since Apple probably relies on micro OLED for its headset strategy and Meta also plans to use micro OLED, Samsung Display is now said to be under pressure to enter the market as well. Allegedly, LG is already positioning itself as a micro OLED supplier for Apple's second-generation headset.
The micro OLEDs for Apple's first headset, which could launch in 2023, are said to come from Sony. LG will supply additional AMOLED screens for the peripheral field of view. Apple has not officially announced a headset yet.
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