Samsung has begun mass production at its new 8.6-generation IT OLED line in South Korea, marking a major step in the competition to supply next-generation laptop displays, with potential inclusion in Apple’s upcoming MacBook Pro.
Samsung Display has started mass production at its 8.6-generation IT OLED line in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, marking a significant step in the race to supply next-generation laptop panels. The company said the new line, built at its A6 complex, began full production in July after years of investment and equipment installation. The move gives Samsung a larger-scale manufacturing base for OLED panels used in notebooks and tablets, where efficiency and yield are becoming increasingly important.
The 8.6-generation format uses a larger glass substrate than older 6-generation lines, allowing more panels to be cut from each sheet and reducing unit costs. Industry reports say Samsung has also been improving production yield, with one report this year putting it above 80%, a key measure of how many panels meet quality standards. The line is expected to support tandem OLED designs, which stack multiple emitting layers to improve brightness and durability, a combination aimed at premium IT devices.
The panels are expected to go into Apple’s next MacBook Pro, which would be the first MacBook model to use OLED. Reports in the foreign press have suggested Apple could unveil the device as early as late October, although memory chip shortages and broader caution across the PC supply chain could still push the timetable into early next year. Samsung has invested about 4.1 trillion won in the A6 site since 2023, underscoring how central IT OLED has become to its display strategy.
Competition is intensifying quickly. BOE opened mass production at its 8.6-generation AMOLED line in Chengdu in June, with its first product a 14-inch 2.8K notebook panel used in Lenovo’s Yoga Air AI PC. TCL CSOT has also entered the field, supplying an inkjet-printed OLED panel for Lenovo’s Legion R9000P gaming laptop and building an 8.6-generation printed OLED line in Guangzhou with local government backing. Market researcher Omdia expects notebook OLED shipments to rise 66% this year, with revenue climbing from $4bn this year to $11.5bn by 2033, while Samsung held a 71% share of the global notebook OLED market in the second quarter.
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