OLED lighting introduction and market status
OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) are light emitting panels made from organic (carbon based) materials that emit light when electricity is applied. OLED displays are popular today in smartphones, laptops, wearables, TVs, and more - but these panels can also be useful for lighting purposes.
An OLED 'light bulb' is a thin film of material that emits light. OLED is the only technology that can create large "area" lighting panels (as opposed to point or line lighting enabled by LEDs and fluorescent bulbs). OLEDs can be used to make flexible and transparent panels, and can also be color-tunable. OLEDs emit beautiful soft diffused light - in fact OLEDs lighting is the closest light source to natural light (with the exception of the old incandescent lamps).
The OLED lighting market
OLED is an amazing technology for lighting - it creates beautiful, efficient and healthy light sources. OLED lighting has great promise but unfortunately the high price of production is a challenge that no one has managed to overcome and OLED lighting remains a small niche industry as of 2024.
In the early years, several large lighting makers (including GE, Philips, OSRAM, LG, Konica Minolta, Panasonic, NEC and others) had active OLED lighting programs, but slowly almost all of these companies dropped out of the market - for various reasons - but the main one being that the large investments in large scale production are not certified to lead to market adoption and the competition with LED lighting is extremely difficult.
But not all is lost. Konica Minolta is now mass producing OLED lighting panels, and OLEDWorks (which took over Philips' OLED lighting fab in Germany) is making excellent progress with automotive OLED lighting. China-based Yeolight is building $100 million OLED lighting fab, and Germany's Inuru is targeting niche markets with its printed OLEDs.
Further reading
- An introduction to OLEDs
- OLED Technology explained
- Transparent OLEDs
- Flexible OLEDs
- OLED-Info Pro: subscribe to access our premium content, OLED technology guide, analysis and insights, data resources
Chery announces the Fulwin T9L PHEV SUV with OLED taillights by Yeolight
Chery announced a new SUV, the Fulwin T9L PHEV, with OLED taillights. The OLED panels are provided by China-based Yeolight. It is not clear if these OLEDs are optional or standard on all models.
The Fulwin T9L is scheduled to enter the Chinese market in Q1 2026. The plug-in hybrid powertrain is based on the Kunpeng Super Hybrid C-DM system paired with a DHT260 transmission, and a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine.
Dongfeng Nissan announces the new NX8 SUV with OLED taillights
The Dongfeng Nissan JV launched a new SUV in China, the NX8 - that has OLED rearlights. The car is offered in two variants, fully electric and plug-in hybrid.
It is not clear if these OLEDs are optional or standard on all models. What we do know, is that in total there are 2,064 different OLED panels, that offer customizable lighting patterns.
The 2026 Audi Q3 uses OLED taillights powered by OLEDWorks
OLEDWorks announced that the new 2026 Audi Q3 SUV will feature the company's OLED lighting panels, to enable personalization and intelligent lighting. The OLED lighting are optional for Q3 customers.
The Q3 rear lighting system features 6 OLED modules, each with 36 individually controllable segments, enabling up to four distinct digital light signatures. In total, there are 216 OLED lighting panels in each side of the car.
KAIST researchers developed OLED-based Alzheimer's treatment
Researchers from Korea's KAIST institute, in collaboration with colleagues from the have developed OLED-based photo-stimulation treatment for Alzheimer's disease, showing that red OLED light could improve the brain's memory function.
The researchers say that using OLEDs rather than LED, has several benefits - better brightness balance, less heat generation risk, and less stimulation variation due to animal movement (they tested this on mice).
OLED lighting - will automotive applications enable a mass market for OLED lighting panels?
OLED has a lot of promise as a lighting technology: OLED technology enables uniform, high-quality area lighting devices. In this article, we will explore the history and current status of the industry, and see whether the automotive industry can finally enable a real OLED lighting market.
Article outline:
- An introduction to OLED lighting
- OLED lighting history – the early years and disappointments
- Automotive OLED lighting – history and current status
- Automotive OLED lighting producers
- Will the automotive market enable a mass OLED lighting market?
- More automotive OLED industry resources for OLED-Info Pro subscribers
OLEDWorks to invest $46 million to double its OLED lighting panel production capacity in Aachen
OLEDWorks announced that it is launching a new $46 million project to double its production capacity at its Aachen OLED lighting fab, as the company sees increased demand for its OLED lighting systems in the automotive sector.
The project involves expanding and modernizing the existing OLEDWorks production infrastructure, the building and the production lines. The goals of these measures are to reduce production cycle times and increase operational efficiency. Once complete, OLEDWorks will have a capacity to produce around 40,000 sqm of OLED panels per year.
The 2025 Audi A6 Sedan sports digital OLED taillights
Audi announced that the new 2025 Audi A6 Sedan will sport OLED lighting, its Digital OLED 2.0, powered by OLEDWorks' Atala panels.
Each module (right and left) includes a total of eight digital OLED panels, and 198 OLED segments (panels). The technology can refresh the 'image' created by the lighting panel several times per second, and offers communication light coupled with proximity detection for warning lights, unique signatures and more.
Sinovia launches its first commercial product, an OLED powered cava bottle label for Provocativo
US-based OLED lighting maker Sinovia Technologies announced the launch of its first consumer product, a lit label enabled by the company's Printed Light Film, created exclusively for Provocativo, a Spanish cava brand.
The first bottles featuring Sinovia's OLED label will roll out as part of Provocativo’s upcoming marketing and publicity campaign. Later this year, these bottles will be available to the public through Provocativo’s website, as well as select dining and retail establishments.
The Audi 2025 A5 and S5 cars to sport OLEDWorks' 2.0 digital lighting rearlights
OLEDWorks proudly announces that the Audi A5 and S5 vehicles are to incorporate its cutting-edge digital OLED 2.0 technology, powered by the Atala brand.
In the new A5 and S5, there will be 6 modules, each with about 60 red emitting OLED panels. The total number of panels is 364. The panels provide personalized lighting signatures and dynamic, adaptive communication on the road.
India inaugurates a new AMOLED research center at IIT Madras
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has inaugurated a new research center dedicated for the development of AMOLED technologies. The new AMOLED Research Centre (ARC) is a national centre of excellent that is funded by the Government's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), by the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and Tata Sons.
The goal of this new center is to help India's display manufacturing industry. It will focus on AMOLED displays for wearables, smartphones, and tablets. Researchers at the ARC will also engage in research into OLED TVs, OLED lighting and OPVs.
