LG Electronics, once a leader in the OLED television sector, is facing significant challenges as Samsung’s aggressive expansion reshapes the global premium TV market. The pressure is mounting on LG from both consumer preferences and manufacturing dynamics, with Samsung rapidly gaining ground.
LG Display, the panel manufacturing arm of LG Electronics, is experiencing increasing losses as its market share diminishes, particularly in North America. Here, Samsung has gained substantial momentum, further intensifying the competitive landscape.
Samsung’s Rapid Rise
In 2024, Samsung sold an impressive 1.44 million OLED TVs, capturing approximately 27.3 percent of the global OLED TV market. This marked a staggering 42 percent increase in unit sales for a company that, just four years prior, was not considered a major player in the OLED sector.
By 2025, Samsung Display had ascended to the top of the OLED panel market, commanding about 38 percent of global shipments and approximately 48 percent of revenue. This surge has translated into brand-level dominance, with Samsung overtaking LG as the leading OLED TV brand in North America in early 2025.
According to the latest research, Samsung captured 50.3 percent of OLED TV revenue and led shipments with roughly 45.2 percent market share, surpassing LG’s 42 percent.
For LG Display, the impact is direct and painful: fewer orders, rising competitive pressure, and shrinking influence in markets it once controlled.
The Technology Arms Race
The battle between these two giants is no longer just about market share; it has evolved into a contest of technological innovation and branding. Samsung Display recently unveiled its latest advancement: a new premium panel branded “QD-OLED Penta Tandem.”
This display is built on a proprietary five-layer organic light-emitting structure, a core innovation unique to Samsung’s QD-OLED panels. The “Penta” refers to five stacked blue/green OLED layers operating in tandem, up from four in the previous generation.
Samsung has already begun integrating the QD-OLED Penta Tandem branding across its monitor lineup, including last year’s 27-inch 4K panel and this year’s 32-inch 4K and 34-inch WQHD models. A 49-inch 5120×1440 ultra-wide panel is also confirmed.
In televisions, the new five-layer structure will underpin upcoming 55-inch, 65-inch, and 77-inch QD-OLED panels. More significantly, Samsung Display plans to expand the Penta Tandem architecture across its full panel range this year and make the technology available to external brands, including those that historically sourced panels from LG Display.
This strategic move directly targets LG’s OEM customer base, intensifying the pressure on LG.
Pressure Mounting on LG
Samsung’s push extends beyond televisions into the fast-growing monitor market, particularly in Australia. Major brands such as Asus, Dell, Gigabyte, MSI, and Sony already rely on Samsung’s QD-OLED panels.
Meanwhile, LG remains a global leader in OLED TV shipments, supported by relatively stronger demand in Europe. However, in the United States, the world’s most lucrative premium TV market, the company is losing ground.
In 2025, Samsung Display led in both shipment and revenue share. While LG Display has made some gains in revenue percentage, it is struggling to secure new orders at the pace required to counter Samsung’s advance.
A Strategic Turning Point
For years, LG’s WOLED and Tandem OLED technologies defined the premium TV category. Now, Samsung is challenging that dominance not just with marketing muscle but with rapid innovation, aggressive expansion, and a willingness to court LG’s traditional customers.
The OLED market, once effectively LG’s stronghold, has become a full-scale battleground. If current trends continue, 2025 may be remembered not simply as another competitive year but as the turning point when Samsung decisively reshaped the OLED hierarchy.
The data for this analysis was sourced from Omedia and South Korean research company UBI.
