Smartwatch Display Shipments Saw Continued Strong Growth in 2018
April 1, 2019 | IHS MarkitEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
With better synchronization between smartwatches and smartphones, smartwatch display shipments increased by 42%, year on year, to reach 149 million units in 2018, according to IHS Markit. Since the Samsung Galaxy Gear was released in 2013 and the Apple Watch debuted in 2014, smartwatch display shipments have increased sharply, growing more than 15 times over the past four years from 9.4 million units in 2014.
“When the first smartwatches were released, functions were limited to activity tracking and they acted as a second screen for smartphones,” said Hiroshi Hayase, senior director at IHS Markit. “Smartwatch functions have since become more diversified, including the ability to make and receive phone calls, use GPS for navigation and make mobile payments.”
The increasing demand for smartwatches has boosted the demand for the underlying display technologies used in their manufacture. In 2018, RitDisplay led the market for smartwatch displays, with a 22% share in 2018. The company shipped 32.5 million mono-color passive-matrix organic light emitting diode (PMOLED) panels, mainly to be used in low-priced strap-style smartwatches from Xiaomi and other Chinese brands. BOE followed RitDisplay with a 12% share of the market, shipping 17.9 million units of active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) and thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT LCD) panels to mid-tier and high-end smartwatches from Huawei and other Chinese brands. The third largest player, LG Display, had shipments of 16.1 million units of flexible AMOLED panels for the Apple Watch with an 11% market share.
While the Galaxy Gear, the Apple Watch and other high-end smartwatches have adopted flexible AMOLED panels, simple and low-end strap-style smartwatches use mono-color PMOLED panels. Shipments of amorphous silicon (a-Si) and low temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) TFT LCD panels have also increased for mid-tier smartwatches since the production cost is lower than for AMOLED panels.
“Smartwatch display shipments amounted to just one tenth of total smartphone shipments in 2018,” Hayase said. “This suggests smartwatch display shipments have room to grow over the next couple of years, particularly as smartwatches now better synchronize with multiple smartphone functions.”
The Small Medium Display Market Tracker by IHS Markit contains quarterly updates of small and medium display shipments and revenues by application, size, resolution and technology.
About IHS Markit
IHS Markit is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 business and government customers, including 80% of the Fortune Global 500 and the world’s leading financial institutions.
Suggested Items
IDTechEx Discusses Low-Loss Materials: The Enabler of Future Connected Vehicles?
05/06/2024 | IDTechExFuture connected vehicles will offer future drivers a safer, smoother, and more convenient driving experience. Not only will drivers get access to more navigation and entertainment options, but they will also gain access to safety technologies that will potentially reduce accidents, improve congestion, and reduce emissions globally by allowing vehicle safety systems to communicate with each other and with city traffic infrastructure.
HBM Prices to Increase by 5–10% in 2025, Accounting for Over 30% of Total DRAM Value
05/06/2024 | TrendForceAvril Wu, TrendForce Senior Research Vice President, reports that the HBM market is poised for robust growth, driven by significant pricing premiums and increased capacity needs for AI chips.
Tablet Shipments Show Signs of Recovery in Q1 2024
05/06/2024 | IDCAfter more than two years of decline, worldwide tablet shipments posted modest year-over-year growth of 0.5% in the first quarter of 2024 (1Q24), totaling 30.8 million units, according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker.
Industrial PC Market Size to Record $1.75 Billion Growth from 2023-2027
05/03/2024 | PRNewswireThe global industrial pc market size is estimated to grow by USD 1.75 billion from 2023 to 2027, according to Technavio. This growth is expected to occur at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of almost 6.29% during the forecast period.
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Direct Imaging Equipment and Quad-wave DLP Light Engine Technology
05/03/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOGuest Editor Kelly Dack and MivaTek's Brendan Hogan delve into the company's innovative technologies, including direct imaging equipment and quad-wave DLP light engine technology. They highlight the benefits of direct imaging, compensation, and DART technology.