TCL’s subsidiary China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT) recently announced plans to begin mass producing OLED panels by 2016. 

Samsung Electronics introduced a new line-up of LED modules called the M-series for use in flat LED lighting applications, such as troffers and linear luminaires. Samsung is showcasing the M-series at the LIGHTFAIR International trade show, being held here at the Las Vegas Convention Center tomorrow June 3rd through June 5th.

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. is showcasing its new Bluetooth-enabled Smart LED light bulb at LIGHTFAIR International 2014. Leveraging an industry-first mesh Bluetooth network, the bulb enables users to seamlessly control their lighting directly from any smart device. The power of this innovative new lighting solution will be demonstrated for hospitality, office, and home use in booth #5435 at the Las Vegas Convention Center from June 3-5.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced that it has improved the light quality of its LED packages and modules based on a 90 CRI (Color Rendering Index) for use in advanced lighting applications. Samsung is showcasing these LED components at the LIGHTFAIR International trade show exhibition being held here from June 3rd through 5th.

Samsung Electronics recently defied previous reports that the company was abandoning OLED production expansions in 2014. According to a Yonhap News Agency report, industry insiders analyzed the Korean manufacturer might be spending up to 25 trillion won (US$ 24.39 billion) in facility investments this year to raise OLED panel production by 8.6 percent compared to 2013.

Lately, several prominent Japanese and Korean manufacturers have dropped OLED TV projects. Japanese manufacturers Panasonic delayed OLED display mass production plans, Sony halted OLED TV R&D, while Korean manufacturer Samsung decided to stop investing in OLED displays in 2014. LG Electronics is the only North Asian manufacturer still active in OLED R&D, according to a recent report by Chinese-language ENorth Netnews.

Samsung officials in China have denied recent market rumors that “the company is terminating OLED TV production capacity expansion plans,” according to a China Business News report. Chinese industry insiders interviewed in the report note the company’s is probably considering adjusting large-screened OLED TV production technology.

Samsung abandoned an OLED fab expansion project because of yield rate issues and intense market competition, according to a Nikkei Asian Review report.

Cheil Industries has become the first Korean manufacturer to develop and produce OLED material. The Samsung affiliate announced on April 28 2014 that it will begin mass producing raw material for green phosphorescent OLED. 

Over the years, LED lighting has filtered into many different application facets, including commercial, residential, digital communications, TV displays, mobile devices, street lighting, and more. Due to its expansive array of uses and ever lowering prices, annual global sales are estimated to grow 54 percent from 2013 reaching US $24 million, according to IP fir, iRunway. 

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced the official global launch of its Samsung Smart Home service. The service will first be rolled out in Korea and the United States, with more countries around the world added throughout the year. The service makes home automation effortless and easy, with a single app that makes it possible to connect and control home appliances, TVs and mobile devices. 

Smart lighting has become the trump card  for manufactures who want to give themselves an edge in the market. Large manufacturers including Philips, Osram, Samsung, and LG all showcased their newest smart lighting products at Light+Building 2014. The idea that anything is possible through smart lighting was evident at this year’s exhibition in Frankfurt. 

Korean manufacturers including Samsung, LG, Seoul Semiconductor, Woree and Lumens were huddled in Hall 6 of Light + Building 2014 show that recently took place in Frankfurt, Germany. These Korean manufacturers displayed their latest LED packages, LED smart controllers, and new OLED products.

The biennial Light+Building trade fair in Frankfurt is the largest global lighting exhibition. The six day long fair opened on March 30th and will run till April 4th, 2014.Similar to 2012, the lighting exhibition is categorized into different topics, which include outdoor lighting, lighting fixtures, modules, and innovative LED technology. 

Samsung Electronics announced it will launch a range of LED lamp solutions at Light + Building 2014, the world’s leading trade fair for architecture and technology, taking place in Frankfurt, Germany from 30 March to 4 April 2014. The new models are a lighter and more efficient PAR-series, lamps with a swivel-head PAR, a decorative classic design LED lamp, and an L-tube series with ECG and CCG compatibility. 

Samsung Electronics Co., a world leader in advanced component solutions, introduced a new lineup of flip chip LED packages and modules offering enhanced design flexibility and a high degree of reliability. The new offerings, for use in leading-edge LED lighting such as LED bulbs, MR/PAR and downlights, will be available in the market during the second quarter of this year.

Package free products have been making waves in the LED industry since 2013. LED manufacturers have been investing in R&D for package free and CSP (chip-scale package) products, including Samsung who recently announced the release of  a new CSP product. The company is launching their completely new 1.3mm x 1.3mm flash LED which uses CSP technology, called FC1313. The CSP FC1313 is small in size, has more design flexibility, and low power consumption. It has become known as the world’s smallest flash LED product.

As flip-chip technology becomes more mature, there has been a clear increase in flip-chip applications this year. Those within the industry have been actively applying flip-chips into flash LEDs. Samsung has taken advantage of the expanded range of flash LED products and announced the launch of their new flash 2016 LED  with flip-chip technology this month.

Just one day after Samsung released its new LED product portfolio for smartphone applications, the company will be packing one of these products into its new smartphone Galaxy S5, according to a CNET report.

Taiwanese manufacturers could soon see an increase in flip-chip shipments as Samsung begins to purchase LED flip-chips from Taiwanese manufacturers.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced component solutions, introduced a range of leading-edge LED component solutions today for use in advanced mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced component solutions, announced today that it has raised the light efficacy for its chip-on-board (COB) family of LED packages to the highest in the industry. Samsung’s LC013B, LC026B and LC040B feature a compact light emitting surface (LES) with high light output that is designed for use in high performance LED products.

Taiwanese chip manufacturer Formosa Epitaxy (Forepi) has become one of three large suppliers for Samsung LED TVs. The company anticipates large shipment volumes in 1Q14 to help contribute to revenue proportions increasing from 15 percent to 20 percent this year, according to Investor. Legal persons estimate that Forepi 2Q14 will turn loss into profit, giving this year an opportunity to have a turnaround.

Price tag for Samsung OLED TVs will not drop anytime soon as the industry still faces some hurdles to overcome in the manufacturing process.

In recent years, LED technology has been the fastest growing in solid-state lighting, with a market penetration rate estimated to exceed 60 percent in 2014, according to LEDinside. Rapid improvement and the ever-increasing interest of large electronic manufacturers in OLED technology could lead OLEDs into the spotlight in 2017, analyzed LEDinside.

Guoqing Tang, China President of LED BU, Samsung, who is also Chairman of SEMI China LED Committee, gives an in depth analysis of the LED industry developments and categorization in this article. 

Smartphones are driving up demands for flash LED. Aside from Philips Lumileds, Cree, Osram and other leading global manufacturers in the flash market, Taiwanese and Korean manufacturers are also entering the market. Samsung plans to switchits flash LED package specs from 4139 to 2016. Following various manufacturers  production launch, industry insiders estimate larger price cuts for flash LEDs in 1Q14.

Cheil Industries, a Samsung Group company specializing in textiles, will invest up to 1.8 trillion won (US $1.7 billion) for the next three years in high value-added electronic and chemical materials. The company said this on November 7 in a regulatory filing. The areas it will focus on include OLED (organic light-emitting diode), rechargeable battery separators, and polarized film.

LG Electronics (LG) has officially taken the wraps off the LG G Flex, a smartphone curved to follow the contour of the face, the first device to offer such a design in the smartphone market. The latest device in LG's premium G Series, the G Flex incorporates proprietary innovations from other LG companies in the form of the display and battery that have never been seen before. The LG G Flex also boasts new user experience (UX) features that take advantage of the curved form factor.

Not wanting to be left in the dust, in the wake of by Samsung’s curved smartphone Galaxy Round announcing the first ever curved smartphone, the Galaxy Round, LG confirmed their own curved smartphone is in the works, according to reports by the Verge, Engadget and CNET.