Of course, I also noted LG Display Co Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:LPL) has already dedicated more than half its 2014 capital expenditure budget to further developing the technology, I also suggested “the price will eventually drop to the point that everyday consumers will be able to afford a super-slim, vibrant OLED television.”
But we also can’t forget that, while LG Display Co Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:LPL)’s is the only large-screen OLED television available domestically right now, the Korean conglomerate certainly isn’t alone in this race.
Most notably, its fellow Korean competitor, Samsung, also boasts a gorgeous curved 55-inch OLED television of its own, which has already been launched in Korea at the same $13,500 international price point.
Samsung’s curved 55-inch OLED television. Source: Samsung.
Samsung’s game-changing news
Up until this week, however, Samsung’s curved OLED TV was largely expected to be made available at select stores in the U.S. over the next few weeks, and at a domestic price point similar to LG Display Co Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:LPL)’s offering.
That was, at least, until yesterday, when The Korea Times reported improved production yields have allowed Samsung to reduce the price for their curved OLED TVs in Korea by more than a third, from $13,500 to around $8,910.
In addition, according to the same report, eager customers who have already purchased the sets at the previous price will be refunded the difference by Samsung.
While Samsung hasn’t offered any specific details on its pricing and availability in the U.S., you can bet they’re just itching to win the business of tech-hungry American consumers from LG Display Co Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:LPL), and won’t be long in issuing a follow-up announcement.
Foolish takeaway
To see prices for this brand-new technology drop so quickly should go a long way toward dispelling any notions that OLED can’t be taken seriously in the world of large-screen displays.
So how do you play it from an investment standpoint? As I suggested last Wednesday, I’m convinced the best option is to go right to the source to buy shares of OLED-specialist Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ:OLED).
Of course, that was one day before the company’s blowout second quarter earnings report, and shares of Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ:OLED) have risen more than 20% since then — including a nearly 9% pop so far today as of this writing.
Even so, considering the company’s management still says the OLED industry remains in the very early stages of wide-scale adoption, I’ll be hanging onto my shares of Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ:OLED) with an iron grip for the foreseeable future. In the end, I think the OLED party is just getting started, and investors who buy now stand to profit handsomely down the road.
The article Already!? Samsung Drops the Price for Its Curved OLED TV originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Steve Symington.
Fool contributor Steve Symington owns shares of Universal Display. The Motley Fool recommends Universal Display. The Motley Fool owns shares of Universal Display.
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