Counterpoint Research forecasts a 57% rise in flat-panel display equipment spending in 2026, driven by major OLED factory expansions and rising adoption in laptops and monitors amid a broader industry pivot from LCD technology.
Counterpoint Research has lifted its forecast for flat-panel display equipment spending in 2026, saying outlays will rise 57% as panel makers accelerate the shift from liquid-crystal displays to OLED. The upgrade reflects a wave of investment in four new 8.6-generation OLED factories planned by Samsung, BOE, Visionox and TCL CSOT, all of which are being built to support larger substrates and higher-volume production. According to OLED-Info’s report on the forecast, Counterpoint also believes that rising semiconductor and memory prices are making the OLED premium look less significant against the total cost of a device, which should help speed up OLED adoption in laptops.
The broader equipment picture is also becoming more OLED-heavy. A separate Counterpoint forecast cited by FN News put total OLED equipment investment at a 68% increase this year, with OLED accounting for 84% of all display equipment spending. Another report, carried by Mynavi Tech+, said global display manufacturing equipment investment is expected to climb 32% in 2026 to $8.9 billion, again led by demand tied to the new 8.6-generation IT OLED lines. Taken together, the forecasts point to a capital cycle that is shifting away from mature LCD capacity and towards larger, more complex OLED production.
Demand-side data supports that view. Omdia expects large-size OLED shipments to reach 38.8 million units in 2026, up 18.8% from a year earlier, with monitors and laptops doing much of the work. At the same time, Omdia sees the overall large-size display market shrinking by 2.3%, underlining how OLED is gaining share even as the wider category remains under pressure from weaker economic conditions.
The equipment shift is not limited to deposition and process tools. HDIN Research said the global flat-panel display inspection equipment market could reach $360 million to $620 million by 2026, helped by flexible OLED substrates, Micro-LED mass production and AI-based defect classification. The firm said China is likely to lead growth as BOE and TCL CSOT expand capacity, suggesting that the next phase of display investment will extend across the full manufacturing chain, from panel formation to inspection and quality control.
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