LG and Samsung have long been rivals, both being major players in the global electronics industry and hailing from South Korea. Recently, LG’s Display division has reportedly outpaced Samsung Display by achieving a significant milestone with Phosphorescent OLED (PHOLED) technology.

To understand the breakthrough, it’s important to recognize that OLED panels primarily consist of two types of materials: fluorescent and phosphorescent. While fluorescent materials have traditionally been easier to work with, they lack the efficiency of phosphorescent materials.

As a result, manufacturers have been striving to make phosphorescent OLED technology practical for years. LG Display recently announced its success in commercializing blue phosphorescent PHOLED panels, marking a notable achievement in the industry.

This advancement means that for the first time, all three primary OLED colors—red, green, and blue—are produced using PHOLED in a format suitable for mass production. The technology could potentially yield an OLED display with remarkable efficiency, with a 100% PHOLED panel theoretically achieving up to 99% efficiency, where almost all the energy would be transformed into light, minimizing heat generation.

Currently, LG Display claims a 15% energy savings over traditional fluorescent blue OLED panels, suggesting that PHOLED could eventually meet higher efficiency expectations. On the other hand, Samsung is rumored to be planning a release of its own blue PHOLED panel later this year.

With this recent victory in PHOLED, LG Display might regain a competitive edge over Samsung, which has consistently led the market with innovations like QD-OLED technology. Despite Samsung’s dominance in certain OLED panel ratings, LG’s progress could shift the balance once again.