Some media reports earlier this year indicated that Samsung was looking to purchase OLED panels from LG Display, in what would represent a break from Samsung’s recent use of QLED panels in its high-end TVs. The reports, aggregated in April by The Verge from several sources in Asia, indicated that Samsung would purchase one million panels this year and an additional four million in 2022.

Now, Samsung is denying those reports.

The website SamMobile has reported that Samsung has officially denied those rumors.

A Samsung executive speaking to the Korean tech publication IT Chosun specifically denied that Samsung would buy those panels.

“There is no change in the idea that our QLED TVs have better picture quality than OLED TVs. I’m trying to make it clear that the rumors are groundless,” the executive said. “It is true that LCD prices are rising, and we are facing a difficult situation, but we have enough capacity to overcome as a No. 1 company.”

Samsung is also reportedly preparing to roll out a new format of TVs, called QD-OLED. One timetable has the first QD-OLED TVs arriving on the market in 2022, which would indicate an introduction at CES next January.

“Samsung Electronics plans to receive ‘QD (Quantum Dot) display’ panels from Samsung Display next year while Samsung Display will extend its supply of LCDs to Samsung Electronics,” an ET News story this spring said of Samsung’s plans. “The agreement was reached as Samsung Electronics needs a supply of LCDs while Samsung Display needs a customer for its QD display panels. What is more special about the agreement is that President Han Jong-hee at Samsung Electronics and President Choi Joo-seon of Samsung Display are all in on the agreement.”

“They agreed on having Samsung Electronics use QD display panels that Samsung Display is working on for Samsung Electronics’ TVs and having Samsung Display extend production of LCDs that was scheduled to end at the end of this March until the end of this year and deliver a supply of LCDs that Samsung Electronics needs,” the report from Korea continued. “President Han and President Choi made an agreement within such framework and they have decided to push for smaller scale of follow-up collaborations.”

QD-OLED technology is described, in a recent Digital Trends explainer, as “a hybrid display technology that aims to take the already very impressive qualities of OLED TV and improve on brightness and color through the use of quantum dots.” Samsung had announced an $11 billion investment in the technology back in 2019, and other reports have had Samsung offering to license the technology to other TV manufacturers.

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for the National Interest, is a journalist, essayist, and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.

Image: Reuters