Katarzyna Petru
In the world of screens, it is rare for large infrastructure projects to finish ahead of schedule. Yet, Samsung Display is proving that for a market leader, nothing is impossible. The latest reports from the Korean campus in Asan and OLED-info confirm: mass production on the 8.6-generation line will start in May 2026. This is several months earlier than previously announced last year.
Generation leap, or why size matters
If you are wondering what all the fuss is about with this "8.6-Gen", let me clarify. Until now, screens for laptops and tablets were mainly produced on 6th generation lines. The new line, internally referred to as A6, works on gigantic glass sheets. These are over twice the size of the previous ones.
What does this mean? Above all, enormous efficiency. From one such sheet, Samsung can cut significantly more panels in a shorter time. It's simple mathematics: greater scale means lower production costs, which over time should translate into more affordable prices for laptops with OLED screens, which until now have been mainly associated with the premium segment.
The race against time and competition from China
Why was Samsung in such a hurry with the May deadline? The answer has five letters: Apple. The giant from Cupertino is the main recipient of the new panels that are set to be featured in the upcoming MacBook Pro models. A faster start to production gives Samsung a powerful bargaining chip and allows it to secure the number one position before Chinese competitors (such as BOE or TCL CSOT) launch their lines at the end of the year.
We can expect that the first devices equipped with these state-of-the-art screens will hit the shelves as early as the second half of 2026, although a more realistic date is the beginning of 2027.
