The first OLED TV launched nearly 20 years ago when the Sony XEL-1 hit the Japanese market in 2007. Since then, we’ve seen several advances and new trends in the TV landscape, including types of panels like Micro RGB panels and MicroLED. Over the years, the type of display a TV offers has become one of the most important factors to consider when buying a new TV, and for good reason. Despite how old they technically are, OLED displays have remained expensive to create, thus making television sets that include them more expensive, too. With new advancements in tech taking off, it’s easy to wonder if OLED TVs will finally become cheaper at some point.
The short answer here is that yes, OLED TVs will become cheaper. In fact, many reports suggest that they are moving toward that already. However, the longer answer is that just how soon they become cheaper really depends on a lot of different factors.
For starters, manufacturing costs are one of the biggest reasons that OLED TVs have remained as expensive as they have. However, statistics show that overall the cost to manufacture and OLED TV is becoming lower as time goes on. We’ve already seen this somewhat, as the total cost of OLED panels, such as a 65-inch panel that cost $1,000 to manufacture in 2020 now only costs around $600 to create. Further reductions were expected by the end of 2025, though we’re still waiting to see how that all plays out at the time of this article’s publication.
When will consumers see the difference?
While manufacturing costs going down is ultimately a good sign, it doesn’t necessarily equate to a reduction in price for the consumers. More specifically, it shouldn’t be expected that we’ll see the consumer price reductions match the reductions that we’re seeing in the manufacturing costs right now. That’s because there are other factors that go into the building of a television set beyond just the display panel used.
For example, smart TVs also need components such as RAM, which we’re currently experiencing a shortage for RAM, thanks to increased allocation of those chip sets toward AI ventures. We’re also seeing this affect other parts of the technology industry, including smartphones and even laptops. In fact, we expect to see laptops change for the worse in 2026 due to this particular issue.
However, many reports do indicate that we could see some lower prices, though it isn’t likely to become extremely noticeable until five to 10 years from now. While OLED TVs will eventually get cheaper, if you want to buy a new TV soon, you’re likely going to see TV prices increase and not decrease — at least in the immediate future. For now, you’re better off waiting for a good sale instead of waiting for everyday prices to change drastically.
