Posts

[MWC 2017] Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, HUAWEI, and TCL Compete over OLED Smart Watches

/in /by

In MWC 2017, the competition over smart watches proceeded fiercely.

The unveiling of Gear S3 by Samsung Electronics in the last IFA 2016 attracted great attention from the smart watch market. The disclosures of products that can compete with Samsung Electronics’ Gear S3 at MWC 2017 are gaining great popularity among viewers.

LG Electronics displayed G-Watch 2 Sports with 1.38-inch P-OLED and G-Watch Style with 1.2-inch P-OLED, HUAWEI exhibited HUAWEI Watch 2 and HUAWEI Watch 2 Classic with 1.2-inch AMOLED panel, and TCL showed MOVETIME with 1.39-inch AMOLED panel.

The smart watches shown by LG Electronics, HUAWEI, and TCL adopted flexible AMOLED (P-OLED) and circle types to save the designs of existing watches, and LG Electronics’ G-Watch 2 and HUAWEI’s HUAWEI Watch 2 can be used as devices independent of smartphones because they have separate sims.

LG Electronics’ G-Watch 2 Sports is equipped with 1.38-inch circle type AMOLED panel, Google Android Wear 2.0, 768MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, and 430mAh battery, and it supports IP68-level waterproof and dustproof functions and wireless charging function.

On the other hand, G-Watch 2 Style is equipped with 1.3-inch circle type AMOLED panel, Google Android Wear 2.0, 4GB internal memory, and 240mAh battery, and it supports IP67-level waterproof and dustproof functions.

HUAWEI Watch 2 is equipped with a 1.2-inch circle type AMOLED panel, Qualcomm® Snapdragon ™ Wear 2100, 1.1GHz quad-core CPU, Google Android Wear 2.0, 4GB internal memory, 768MB RAM, and 420mAh battery, and it supports various types of Watch face, an equippable Sim (4G), and IP68-level waterproof and dustproof functions.

Meanwhile, LG Electronics and HUAWEI devoted considerable spaces to the smartwatch exhibition at their booths in the MWC 2017 exhibition, and it suggests that there will be big changes in the smart watch market which is dominated by Samsung and Apple.

<G-Watch 2 Sports of LG Electronics>

<HUAWEI Watch 2 of HUAWEI.>

[MWC 2017] Samsung Elec. lead AR/VR market with the variety of contents

/in /by

Samsung Elec. is expected to lead forward the market expansion of AR/VR, showing various AR/VR contents under developing at MWC 2017 which is being held in Barcelona, Spain from 27, Feb.

Samsung Elec. prepared the C lab exhibition hall at 4YFN in Fira Barcelona, and showed 4 types of contents for visitors such as: Relúmĭno which is a visual aids solution for Gear VR to help watching TV and reading books for persons who have low vision and blind, Monitor-less which is a VR/AR (Augmented Reality) solution that can be remotely operated for high-quality contents of PCs and smartphones, VuildUs which is a VR home interior service that experiences interior decorations in virtual reality, traVRer which is for the video travel service that helps experiencing of virtual trips by using 360-degree video watching.

Samsung Elec. is just developing for VR use now, but they revealed that Relúmĭno is being reviewed for applying to AR as a VR content effecting to the vision correction by VR algorithm that developed symptoms itself regarding to the disorder of refraction, cataracts and so on.

The principle for monitor-less is that reflects the screen of smartphones through micro OLED of the HD resolution located around the frame of glasses to its optical lens, and it is operated without a monitor of a smartphone and a PC as AR during ordinary. In addition, its merit is easy to use the VR contents by opaquely tailoring the glasses through an adaption of electro-discoloring glasses when users want.

VuildUs helps to make users arrange various furniture or do interior decorations into a virtual space through 360-degree video, and they are jointly developing contents regarding to be capable of purchasing desired items immediately in that system with architects and furniture manufacturers for commercialization.

traVRer is a content that can be freely exploring desired paths, time, positions and so on by building database based on 360-degree video which is taken from various angles, and traveling wherever you want to go into a virtual space.

These VR and AR contents revealed by Samsung Elec., are not commercialized yet, but they are catching public interests in aspects of various developments for providing convenient to users by VR and AR devices, and industries pay attention as expecting that Samsung Elec. will lead the market for contents not only for the devices of AR and VR.

<Samsung Elec.’ C lab exhibition space, MWC 2017>

<Samsung Elec.’ VR/AR contents, Source : Samsung Elec. blog>

Samsung Electronics seeks to catch the victory at MWC 2017 by VR

/in , , , , /by

Samsung Electronics will show the C lab (Creative Lab) project relating with VR (Virtual Reality) from February 27 to March 1 at MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2017 held in Barcelona, Spain.

The C lab project to be presenting by Samsung Electronics at MWC 2017 is followings: some of those are reading of low vision and blind persons, Relúmĭno which is a visual aids solution for Gear VR to help watching TV, Monitorless which is a VR/AR (Augmented Reality) solution that can be remotely operated for high-quality contents of PCs and smartphones, VuildUs which is a VR home interior service that experiences interior decorations in virtual reality, traVRer which is for the video travel service that helps experiencing of virtual trips by using 360-degree video watching.

The director of Samsung Electronics’ Creative Development Center, Jae-il, Lee s
aid, “We plan to verify the possibility of expanding VR and AR’s technology by meeting with the external users and try to continue various challenges, though, the presenting C lab project at this time is a trial product level.

The C lab is selecting the project such as from the element technology like sensors to beauty, kids and VR etc. in various industrial field, as the in-company venture training program introduced by Samsung Electronics in 2012 to discover creative ideas among employees and spread the creative culture of the company.

<Products to be exhibited at MWC 2017 by Samsung Electronics, Source: Samsung Display blog>

The diverse products to be showed at MWC 2017 by Samsung Electronics can be found in detail on the blog of Samsung’s(https://news.samsung.com).

Would it be possible to accelerate commercialization of QLED by Samsung Electronics’ acquisition of ‘QD Vision’?

/in /by

According to the industry source dated Nov. 21, it was confirmed that Samsung Electronics was selected as a preferred bidder participating in the acquisition battle for ‘QD Vision’. The amount of acquisition proposed by Samsung Electronics is U$70million, and the industry expects that the final takeover will be agreed no later than the next week.

Quantum dot is the materials whose implementing color is different according to the size, and Samsung Electronics is introducing SUHD TV to the premium TV market, which improves the color reproduction rate by applying quantum dot sheet to LCD BLU for the first time in the world, and Chinese companies are actively launching the products.

‘QD Vision’ established by the researchers from MIT, is a specialized enterprise with high technology in the field of cadmium-based quantum dot and it is introducing non-cadmium-based material, too, lately. The industry considers that the acquisition of ‘QD vision’ by Samsung Electronics is the cornerstone to accelerate the commercialization of QLED along with the expansion of the quantum-dot TV market.

Although QLED is highly anticipated to be available to realize the panel with high purity as it is less impacted by oxygen and moisture than OLED and as it has a narrow half width, very low efficiency and life time compared to OLED materials are mentioned as the problem, under its initial stage of development. Furthermore, cadmium used in the core of quantum dot is highly toxic carcinogen, so Cd-free materials are being developed by ‘QD Vision’, ‘Nanoco’, ‘Nanosquare’, etc., however, its performance is lower than Cd-base materials. Therefore, the industry expects that it will take at least 5 years for QLED to be applied to mass production.

In the meantime, related with this issue, in the ‘Market penetration possibility analysis and seminar for QLED and Solution Process OLED’ hosted by UB Research in last October, Professor Chang-hee Lee of Seoul National University mentioned that, “If large-scale investment and manpower would be input, it is likely to find the product in earlier time than expected, and there is a possibility that the entry barrier can be lowered due to its similar structure to OLED”

It is highly attended that whether the acquisition of ‘QD vision’ by Samsung Electronics can accelerate the commercialization of QLED by becoming the starting point of large-scale investment, and what effect would be influenced to the display industry.

[IFA2016]Samsung Electronics states to completely leave OLED TV!

/in /by

After two and a half years have passed since the CES 2014, where Samsung Electronics expressed that it would need about three more years to develop OLED TV due to its insufficient technology at the time, in IFA 2016t it has strongly emphasized that it will not be engaging in OLED TV business.

Recently, in an interview with a local press, Samsung Electronics stated that there were still problems with the definition of the OLED TV and that it will continue engaging in the TV business with QLED TV within the near future.

In IFA2016, it revealed Samsung Electronics’ thoughts on the past, present, and future of TVs.

Based on the materials provided at Samsung’s booth, LCT TVs of the past have extended their legacies into LED TVs, and in the future they will evolve into quantum dot TVs that use inorganic materials. Moreover, in the same manner as PDP TVs which have disappeared from the TV market OLED TVs will disappear after having reached the level of curved FHD TV.

Looking at this material, it seems like Samsung Electronics is not paying attention to other LCD TV sets but only LG Electronics’ OLED TVs.

As a matter of fact, it is natural for Samsung Electronics’, the no.1 market leader of TV market, to be disturbed by LG Electronics’ OLED TV which is expanding its market share in the premium TV market. However, at this point where 55-inch and 65-inch UHD OLED TVs are selling well, whether Samsung Electronics’ display contents were legitimate is questionable.

Presenting negative views regarding competitors is acceptable in terms of marketing, but at this display it seemed to be excessive. Also, Samsung Electronics even provided durability comparisons between inorganic TVs (Quantum dot TV) and OLED when inorganic TVs do not even exist.

The main point of the comparison was that the colors of OLED TVs change severely according to the passing of time whereas inorganic TVs do not.

Contents from a U.S. consumer report website were still being displayed as follows. In the “best TV 5” of 2015, there are three LG Electronics’ OLED TVs, and no.1 was the 65-inch UHD OLED TV.

The end of OLED TVs is not likely to come as fast as what Samsung Electronics predict. It is just the beginning for OLED TVs.

Samsung Elec. Estimate That Consolidated Operating Profit Came to KRW 8.1 trillion for Q2 2016

/in , , , , /by

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

Samsung Elec. announced its earnings guidance for the second quarter of 2016.

Samsung Elec. estimates that consolidated sales came to approximately KRW 50 trillion, and consolidated operating profit of approximately KRW 8.1 trillion.

The above figures are estimates of consolidated earnings based on K-IFRS. Korean disclosure regulations do not allow earnings estimates to be provided as a range. Therefore, the above figures are based on the median of the earnings estimate range, as given below.

  • Sales: KRW 49 ~ 51 trillion
  • Operating Profit: KRW 8.0 ~ 8.2 trillion
※  2016 1Q and 2015 2Q consolidated figures based on K-IFRS are as follows