Samsung Display Loses Foldable OLED Crown to BOE in Q1 2025

While Samsung Display is a leader in the OLED screen market, competition is becoming more intense in the foldable OLED segment. The Korean firm has lost its top position in this space to Chinese display maker BOE. This is a concern for the division, as the foldable market is growing and becoming a key area of future revenue.

BOE overtakes Samsung Display in foldable OLED market

According to Counterpoint Research (via Chosun), sales of OLED panels increased by 2% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year. This is a recovery from the 3% decline suffered in the fourth quarter of last year. Thanks to increasing demand for AR glasses, automobiles, smartwatches, TVs, monitors, and other devices, the market saw a modest rebound.

As expected, Samsung Display maintained its top spot in the flexible and rigid OLED sectors in Q1 2025. It remained the top supplier of OLED screens for iPhones, followed by LG Display and BOE. Surprisingly, however, it dropped to second position in the foldable OLED segment. BOE beat Samsung in this category, shaking up the market that Samsung once dominated.

Since the research firm did not reveal the market share for the foldable OLED sector, it’s unclear by how many points BOE took the top spot. Hopefully, the margin is not large, and Samsung may bounce back in the coming months. Samsung started production of foldable panels for its new Galaxy Z series in the second quarter. This should help the company regain its lead in the foldable OLED market if the new devices see strong demand.

“A gradual recovery is expected in the second half of the year as new foldable and flagship products are released ahead of the year-end shopping season,” said David Naranjo, a researcher at Counterpoint. “This recovery alone will not be enough to offset the stagnation in overall sales growth in 2025.”