Global large-area OLED display shipments are projected to surge by 18.8 per cent year-on-year to 38.8 million units in 2026, according to new data released by Omdia.

The firm’s latest market tracker indicates that growth will be driven primarily by OLED displays used in monitors and notebook computers, segments where Korean manufacturers continue to dominate.

At the same time, overall large-area display shipments, including LCDs, are expected to decline by 2.3 per cent to 916.9 million units in 2026.

Despite strong demand earlier in the year, the report warns that global demand for large-area displays is set to weaken, particularly in the second half of 2026.

This slowdown is attributed to rising component prices, geopolitical tensions involving the United States and Iran, and broader economic uncertainty.

Large-area LCD shipments alone are forecast to fall by 3.0 per cent year-on-year to 878.1 million units.

Total revenue across the large-area display market is also expected to edge down by 1.7 per cent to 69.9 billion dollars, reflecting softer demand conditions.

However, the sharp rise in OLED adoption is expected to cushion the decline, with notebook OLED shipments projected to jump by 66.0 per cent and monitor OLED shipments by 34.0 per cent.

The report also highlights a shift in television sizes, with demand moving towards larger screens, helping to support revenues.

Shipments of displays smaller than 65 inches are expected to drop by 5.9 per cent, while those measuring 65 inches and above are forecast to grow by 8.4 per cent.

“Prices for memory, CPU and other PC components are expected to continue rising in 2026,” said YS Chung, practice leader in Omdia’s display research practice.

He added that higher component costs have pushed up PC prices since the start of the year, weakening consumer demand.

“Monitor display shipments are forecast to decrease by 1.8 per cent year-on-year, while shipments of notebook PC and tablet PC displays are expected to fall by 0.6 per cent and 3.8 per cent respectively in 2026,” he said.

“TV brands and original equipment manufacturers are also facing higher memory and other component prices,” the Omdia analyst stated.

He explained that unlike IT devices, television manufacturers struggle to pass increased costs on to consumers through higher retail prices.

“Once TV brands and manufacturers complete their pulled-forward purchasing of TV displays, panel procurement is expected to decline from the third quarter of 2026,” he noted.

“As a result, TV display shipments are forecast to decrease by 2.5 per cent year-on-year in 2026,” he added.

“Despite weaker conditions across the wider market, large-area OLED shipments are expected to increase in 2026,” Chung said.

He further explained that Korean manufacturers will drive this growth by reallocating capacity at Gen 8.5 OLED fabrication plants from television panels to monitor displays.

“Samsung Display and BOE will begin mass production at their Gen 8.6 IT OLED fabrication plants from the middle of 2026, with production focused on OLED displays for notebook PCs,” he added.