3Q25 OLED Emitting Material Purchases Rise 6.2%… Driven by iPhone 17 and iPad Pro Demand

According to UBI Research’s recently published OLED Emitting Material Market Tracker, global OLED panel makers recorded USD 521 million in emitting material purchases in the third quarter of 2025, marking a 6.2% increase QoQ. Purchases increased across most applications—including smartphones, notebooks, tablet PCs, and monitors—and all major panel makers except CSOT posted higher spending during the quarter.

The ramp-up of iPhone 17 series OLED panel shipments in Q3 significantly boosted small-sized OLED production by Korean panel makers, while most Chinese panel makers also saw rising shipment volumes. Tablet PC OLED shipments, which had been weak in Q2, began to recover as supply of new iPad Pro OLED panels increased.

The emitting material market is expected to expand further over the mid- to long-term. UBI Research forecasts global emitting material purchases to grow from USD 2.93 billion in 2025 to USD 3.47 billion in 2029. Growth in the mid-to-large-sized OLED segment is projected to outpace that of small-sized OLEDs, driven largely by Apple’s adoption of tandem OLED structures across major IT products such as the iPad Pro and MacBook. This shift is accelerating structural demand for higher-performance OLED materials.

OLED adoption in the automotive display market is also emerging as a key structural growth driver. As vehicles increasingly demand high brightness and durability, the adoption of 2-stack tandem OLED structures is expected to expand, leading to steady increases in emitting material consumption for automotive applications.

Structural changes are also evident in the demand outlook by OLED architecture. The share of RGB single-stack OLED, currently the dominant structure, is expected to decline by around 10% by 2029. In contrast, emitting material purchases for RGB 2-stack tandem OLEDs are projected to grow at the fastest pace. This trend aligns with the rapid expansion of IT and automotive OLED markets, where high-reliability and high-brightness performance requirements favor tandem structures.

Investment strategies among panel makers are further contributing to the expansion of the emitting material market. Major Korean and Chinese panel makers are actively investing in 8.6-generation IT-oriented OLED production lines, accelerating a long-term shift from a small-sized OLED–centric market toward a structure in which IT and automotive OLEDs account for a larger share. Beginning in 2026, Samsung Display, BOE, and Visionox are expected to begin full-scale mass production on their 8.6G 2-stack tandem OLED lines, which will drive a rapid increase in related emitting material consumption.

UBI Research analyst Noh Chang-ho stated, “Once full-scale mass production begins after 2026, emitting material consumption for RGB 2-stack tandem OLEDs will grow rapidly.” However, he also cautioned that “as Chinese emitting material suppliers begin providing low-cost materials to domestic panel makers, the growth rate of emitting material purchase value may not fully match the increase in consumption volume,” highlighting rising concerns over intensifying price competition.

Changho Noh,  Senior Analyst at UBI Research  (chnoh@ubiresearch.com)

OLED Emitting Material Market Tracker Sample