Canon's new QD-OLED tech is cheaper to manufacture than Samsung's

Canon has developed its own QD-OLED display technology, reports Nikkei Asia. If the news is indeed true, Canon has become the second company after Samsung Display to have developed this display technology. The latest report also puts Canon in a position to compete with Samsung Display, the only brand in the market at the moment that offers QD-OLED TVs and monitors. But there’s more to the story that’s gonna make QD-OLED lovers very happy.

Manufacturing QD-OLED panels using Samsung Display’s technology requires indium, a material that’s quite rare (found only in China) and, therefore, very costly. Canon’s QD-OLED technology reportedly uses lead, which is more widely available, and as a result, cheaper. According to Nikkei Asia, the amount of lead required to manufacture QD-OLED panels using Canon’s tech could cost a hundred times less than the amount of indium required to manufacture QD-OLED panels using Samsung’s technology.

Canon's technology could lower the prices of QD-OLED displays

That means the manufacturing cost of QD-OLED panels made using Canon’s tech could be significantly less compared to those manufactured using the technology from the South Korean tech giant. This could plummet the prices of QD-OLED displays, making TVs and monitors based on this technology accessible to a wider audience. Canon’s technology would also lower the dependence on Chinese-mined indium.

Currently, there’s no information on what Canon is planning to do with its newly-developed QD-OLED technology. The company might keep the technology for itself, using it to manufacture viewfinders for its DSLRs. But that would be stupid because Canon could change the whole landscape of the OLED market with this new technology while also reducing the consumption of rare materials. If Canon decides to jump into the OLED market with this tech, Samsung will be in deep trouble.