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Shipments of foldable organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays are expected to grow at an annual growth rate of 29 percent through 2027, according to a market research firm.
According to UBI Research on June 28, shipments of foldable OLED displays will reach 22 million units this year. The figure is expected to expand to 61 million units in 2027 at an annual growth rate of 29 percent.
As the foldable market expands, the market for display cover windows for foldable displays is also expected to expand. This market will expand from US$410 million in 2023 to US$840 million in 2027, some experts forecast.
However, the share of colorless polyimides (CPIs) is expected to steadily wane as Samsung Display plans to mass-produce foldable OLED displays using only ultra-thin glass (UTG) in the future, and BOE, TCL CSOT, and Visionox are also developing foldable OLED displays with UTG.
UBI Research forecasts the UTG market will grow from US$240 million in 2023 to US$740 million in 2027. The CPI market, on the other hand, will shrink from US$170 million in 2023 to US$95 million in 2027.
Foldable phone leader Samsung Electronics has used UTG for cover windows in all of its foldable phones since the Galaxy Z Fold 2.
Motorola launched the clamshell-type Razr 40 and Razr 40 Ultra with UTG cover windows in June.
Recently, Chinese companies, which had previously adopted CPIs as cover windows due to a lack of technological power, are also increasingly using UTG. Oppo is preparing to release 6.8-inch clamshell-type and 8.1 book-type foldable smartphones with UTG.