According to the latest projections from the Omdia Large-area Display Market Tracker, worldwide shipments of large-area OLED display panels are expected to grow by 18.8% year-over-year in 2026, reaching 38.8 million units. This growth will be primarily driven by demand for OLED panels used in monitors and notebook PCs, which remain key focus areas for Korean OLED panel manufacturers.

In contrast, the overall global shipments of large-area display panels, including LCDs, are forecast to decline by 2.3% to 916.9 million units. While market demand is expected to show some resilience in the first half of 2026 due to inventory build-up, demand for large-area display panels is projected to gradually weaken over the full year. This is primarily influenced by factors such as rising component prices, recent geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran, and increased global economic uncertainty, with effects expected to be more pronounced in the second half of 2026.

Within this context, shipments of large-area LCD display panels are forecast to fall by 3.0% to 878.1 million units. Total global revenue for the large-area display panel market is projected to decrease by 1.7% to $69.9 billion.

However, OLED panels for notebooks and monitors are still expected to maintain robust growth, with shipments forecast to increase by 66.0% and 34.0% year-over-year, respectively. This growth will help mitigate the overall revenue decline in the large-area display market.

Furthermore, the trend toward larger screen sizes for LCD TV panels will also provide support for market revenue. Shipments of TV panels smaller than 65 inches are expected to decline by 5.9%, while shipments of panels sized 65 inches and above are projected to grow by 8.4%, further driving the ongoing product mix upgrade toward larger sizes.

YS Chung, Practice Leader for Omdia's Display Research Practice, commented, "Prices for memory, CPUs, and other PC components are expected to continue rising through 2026. Consequently, PC product prices have been increasing since the beginning of the year, which is suppressing consumer demand. Monitor panel shipments are forecast to decline by 1.8% in 2026, while notebook and tablet panel shipments are projected to fall by 0.6% and 3.8%, respectively."

Chung added, "TV brands and OEMs are also facing cost pressures from rising memory and other component prices. However, unlike IT devices, TV brands find it difficult to pass these additional costs on to consumers by raising retail prices. As TV brands and OEMs complete their panel inventory build-up, procurement demand for TV panels is expected to start declining from the third quarter of 2026. Therefore, TV display panel shipments are forecast to decrease by 2.5% for the year."

Chung further noted, "Despite the overall weak market environment, large-area OLED panel shipments will continue to grow in 2026. Korean manufacturers plan to boost shipments of monitor and notebook OLED panels by converting part of their Gen 8.5 OLED production capacity from TV panels to monitor panels. Additionally, Samsung Display and BOE are scheduled to begin mass production on their Gen 8.6 IT OLED lines around mid-2026, with a production focus on OLED display panels for notebooks."

Omdia will host the 2026 Omdia Korean Display Conference at the EL Tower in Yangjae, Seoul, South Korea, on September 3-4, 2026. At the event, YS Chung and other Omdia analysts will share the latest trends in the large-area display market based on the firm's in-depth research and industry analysis. Attendees will also gain insights from leading industry analysts on the latest developments in the display industry and its application markets.