Large-Generation OLED Competition Heats Up in the IT Market—FMM leads as FMM-Free Accelerates

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Recently, TCL CSOT began constructing its t8 Gen 8.6 OLED factory, marking the start of large-scale global investments in IT OLED panel production. TrendForce reports that Samsung Display (SDC) continues to lead by making the earliest investments in Gen 8.6 OLED capacity. Meanwhile, Chinese manufacturers like BOE, Visionox, and TCL CSOT are also progressing with their own Gen 8.6 OLED manufacturing plans.

SDC revealed its Gen 8.6 investment in 2023, focusing on a traditional fine-metal-mask (FMM) evaporation process and a tandem OLED design to enhance panel durability. Equipment installation is now finished, and with Apple adopting SDC’s tandem OLED, these panels are expected to be used in the upcoming MacBook Pro, slated for release in 2026. Mass production may start as early as the second quarter of 2026.

Following closely behind, BOE also confirmed its commitment to a Gen 8.6 OLED investment by the end of 2023, using FMM evaporation and tandem OLED tech. Equipment installation is planned to start in 2Q25, with pilot testing in the first half of 2026. Currently, BOE supplies OLED notebook panels from its Gen 6 lines to top Chinese and Taiwanese brands, setting a solid stage for customer adoption once Gen 8.6 mass production launches in 2026.

Meanwhile, Visionox and TCL CSOT are advancing with the FMM-free strategy. Visionox is applying its proprietary Visionox intelligent Pixelization (ViP) technology—introduced in 2023—which provides higher PPI and aperture ratios than conventional FMM. The company announced in the second quarter of 2024 its plan to build a Gen 8.6 OLED factory, expecting to complete construction by the fourth quarter of 2025 and reach full-scale production by the first quarter of 2027.

TCL CSOT, on the other hand, is adopting inkjet printing (IJP), a process simpler than FMM that is expected to cut material waste by about 30%. After the groundbreaking ceremony for its Gen 8.6 line, TCL CSOT aims to start mass production in Q4 2027.

TrendForce predicts that the surge in new investments from both FMM and FMM-free groups signals an era in which many technologies are set to flourish in the IT OLED supply chain. Currently, FMM companies enjoy strong customer relationships and substantial production experience. However, FMM-free technologies such as ViP and IJP, despite early challenges such as lower yield rates and ongoing material development, are attracting significant market interest and may close the gap as they improve.