Chinese giant TCL has officially begun mass production of inkjet-printed OLED displays. The company's subsidiary, TCL CSOT, is leading this initiative with its first product: a 21.6-inch 4K UHD panel designed for professional monitors. The new display boasts a 204 pixels per inch density and coverage of 99% of the DCI-P3 color space. With a maximum brightness of 350 cd/m², the panel is suited for professional applications, with TCL CSOT targeting the medical sector. Additionally, the firm advertises more than 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Using the leftovers from JOLED's closure, a Japanese venture that previously attempted similar technology but filed for bankruptcy in 2023, TCL's approach utilizes Gen 5.5 glass substrates measuring 1,300 × 1,500 mm. Notably, it incorporates other materials from the former Japanese pioneer.

Printed OLED technology promises more cost-effective display production compared to traditional methods. Unlike traditional evaporation methods in OLED production that use shadow masks and waste significant amounts of material, inkjet OLED printing allows for precise deposition of organic materials directly onto substrates. This maskless process not only reduces material waste but also minimizes contamination risks, which is crucial given OLEDs' sensitivity to environmental factors. The choice of starting with medical monitors mirrors JOLED's initial strategy from 2017, when they launched a similar 21.6-inch 4K panel for the same market segment. TCL has already announced plans to expand its printed OLED lineup in 2025 with additional display sizes. The success of this venture could potentially revolutionize OLED display manufacturing, making high-quality screens more accessible across various market segments, and we hope, one day, the enthusiast segment. TCL's consumer brand carrying these printed displays will be named APEX.

Japanese OLED display manufacturer JOLED has decided to throw in the towel, as the company board has filed for bankruptcy protection at the Tokyo District Court. JOLED has some 33.7 billion yen (US$257 million) in liabilities and is hoping to cover some of these by selling off assets. The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), which is the largest shareholder of JOLED, will be taking over its R&D department, along with around 100 employees as well as its intellectual property. However, it will not take over either of JOLEDs two fabs, located in Nomi and Chiba, Japan. The two fabs employ around 280 staff and currently the two fabs building displays using JOLED's innovative printing technology for OLED displays are expected to be closed.

However, as JOLED still has supply contracts with the likes of Apple, ASUS, Eizo, LG and Sony, INCJ will continue to operate the fabs for now, to fulfil the contracts for the time being. INCJ is apparently accepting responsibility to cover JOLED's liabilities, sheltering the other shareholders of JOLED, which includes Japanese Denso and Chinese CSOT/TCL. JOLED has struggled for most of its existence, being late to market with its OLED displays and haven't been able to compete with the likes of LG and Samsung in Korea and BOE Display and CSOT in China. Hopefully INCJ will be able to take advantage of the intellectual property from JOLED, as the company is focusing on making its own line of OLED displays in the future.

JOLED, a Japanese Display, Sony and Panasonic group, has recently filed patent infringement lawsuits against Samsung. The fillings against Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, and Samsung Electronics' U.S. subsidiary, were filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas on June 22. There's a concurrent filling against Samsung's German subsidiary running through the District Court of Mannheim in Germany as well. JOLED claims Samsung has been infringing on JOLED's intelectual property on OLED technology (on which the company holds around 4,000 patents) particularly in Samsung Galaxy handsets that have been sold in the US.

We covered JOLED's entrance in to the OLED market back in December 2018. At the time, the company was entering the small-display market with 21.6" offerings. Meanwhile, the company received a 20 billion yen (around $187 million) cash injection from CSOT, a Chinese display company owned by TCL Corporation. This allowed to company to scale its OLED manufacturing for large display panels; the company announced mass production of TV-bound OLED panels on June 19th.