The Zhitong Finance App learned that Omdia expects global desktop display shipments to drop 4% year on year in 2026, but larger size, high-resolution upgrades and e-sports demand are reshaping the industry pattern. The market share of panel companies in mainland China is expected to exceed 75%, and local foundry forces are rising at an accelerated pace — in the stock market, opportunities for structural growth have already emerged.
Demand will be released centrally in 2025, and the market will enter an adjustment cycle in 2026
According to Omdia data, multiple factors will jointly drive the rise in demand for consumer displays in 2025: China's energy saving subsidies, implementation of digital product trade-in policies, combined with major e-commerce promotions such as 618 and Double 11; at the same time, a series of top global e-sports events such as the Saudi e-sports World Cup will continue to drive a boom in hardware consumption. Large-size, high-refresh rate products have become popular categories promoted by major brands. Market demand has been fully released, and a large number of orders have been delivered ahead of schedule, and part of the potential demand for 2026 has been overdrawn ahead of schedule.
Entering 2026, the global desktop display market ushered in an adjustment cycle as the dividends of China's energy saving and replacement policy gradually subside, compounding fluctuations in the global supply of raw materials and components to drive up production costs. Omdia expects global desktop display shipments to drop 4% year on year in 2026. The regional market is showing a significant pattern of differentiation. Shipments in mature markets such as North America, Western Europe, and China are under pressure. The Asia-Pacific and Oceania regions alone are expected to maintain a slight positive growth rate. Looking at the extended cycle, the desktop display industry has entered a stage of steady stock development. From 2025 to 2028, the overall global shipment scale will remain stable in the range of 130 million to 140 million units.
Three major upgrade trends under inventory competition
In an environment of competitive inventory, the industry accelerates the iterative upgrading of products, and panel companies are also facing the problem of balancing capacity utilization and operating profit. The development of the industry clearly shows three major trends:
First, large-scale expansion continues to evolve. Demand for small to medium sized conventional displays is gradually shrinking; the penetration rate of 27-inch products continues to rise, and the 32-inch market share is steadily increasing. Large-size products not only help absorb panel production capacity, but also increase the added value of products.
Second, product resolution continues to be upgraded. The industrial chain has gradually lowered the ratio of large FHD panels, increased the layout of high-resolution solutions such as QHD and UHD, and collaborated with the large-scale trend to drive profit levels.
Third, the product structure of leading brands continues to be optimized. Manufacturers such as Dell, HP, and Samsung continue to enrich high-end models with high resolution and high refresh rates, and introduce new OLED display technologies such as WOLED and QD-OLED; the positioning differentiation between commercial basic product lines and high-end e-sports product lines continues to increase.
Supply chain pattern: the market share of mainland panel companies climbed to 75%
At the supply chain level, the competitiveness of panel companies in mainland China continues to increase. Omdia predicts that the share of mainland panel companies in the global desktop display panel market is expected to rise to 75% in 2026. On the other hand, traditional panel companies such as AUO, INX, and LG Display are suffering from profit pressure, and display panel shipments continue to decline, and companies such as CHOT will completely withdraw from the desktop display panel race in 2026. At the same time, the division of panel enterprise divisions in mainland China is evident: BOE and Huaxing Optoelectronics are steadily in the first tier, and HKC continues to catch up; small and medium-sized panel companies have limited shipping volume and specifications, and industry orders are continuously concentrated on leading panel companies.
On the demand side, terminal brand procurement strategies tend to be conservative. Mainly due to pre-procurement expectations in the first half of the year, some brands adjusted their inventory requirements in the third quarter of 2026. Omdia expects mainstream brands to shrink in the third quarter of 2026 compared to the second quarter. Overall, they will prepare goods as needed to avoid the risk of blind stockpiling.
Gaming monitors: the only continuous growth track in the stock market
Despite pressure from the market, e-sports displays are still one of the few segments in the industry with the potential for continued growth. According to Omdia data, demand for ultra-high refresh rate and high-resolution products of 240 Hz and above has maintained a steady upward trend, and the share of 240 Hz+ models shipped will continue to increase in 2026; the share of high-specification e-sports displays such as QHD, UWQHD, and UHD continues to expand, becoming the core driving force supporting the growth of the industry.
OEM circuit: local ODM forces continue to grow
The foundry circuit has ushered in structural opportunities. Leading domestic ODM foundries remain optimistic about the 2026 market prospects and maintain positive shipping targets. Local foundry forces such as BOE VT, HKC, and TCL (Moka) continue to grow. Relying on stable panel resources, global manufacturing layout and excellent cost control capabilities, they continue to accept OTS orders from brands. In the context of terminal brands continuing to control costs, Omdia believes that the continuous transfer of orders to high-quality Chinese foundries has become the core driving force for the growth of domestic foundries.