Sharp many have been slightly quiet on the TV scene in the wake of CES 2018 and big announcements from the likes of LG, Samsung and Sony, but it hopes to change all of that by revealing a new direction for the brand.
It’s not exactly a well-kept secret that Sharp, now owned by Taiwanese electronics specialist Foxconn, may have its eye on getting a piece of the OLED action. The manufacturer has made numerous announcements showing intentions to take on LG with its own OLED offerings (as well as offering a rival 8K display to LG’s mammoth 88-in screen seen at CES).
Last year the Japan Times reported that Sharp would invest 57.4 billion yen (around €425/£370m) to facilitate OLED production at one of its plants, with expectations they would go into operation between April-and June in 2018.
The official developer and supplier of OLED technologies, Universal Display, has now seemingly confirmed the move by announcing the extension of its partnership with the manufacturer to provide, "OLED materials and technology to Sharp Corporation for use in the company’s OLED displays.”
With LG’s significant dominance in the field, it will be interesting to see how Sharp plans to take on the Korean brand (who of course, are dedicating billions to dominating the OLED market) – will they aim to compete on price point, or by offering something unique with its TVs? With the latest news out of Universal Display's US headquarters, we shouldn’t have to wait too long to find out.