In Q3, 57 million smart watch displays were shipped, according to IHS Markit.

Shipments rose by 34% y-o-y.

For 2019, shipments are expected to be 195 million units, up 31% from 149 million in 2018, following  growth of 42% in 2018.

“The smart-watch display market is enjoying a phase of staggering growth, with demand rising by 20-fold during the five-year period from 2014 through 2019,” says Hiroshi Hayase at IHS Markit.m, “in 2014, global smartwatch display shipments totaled just 9.4 million units. Shipments surged to nearly 200 million in 2019 as these watches have become more useful and functional.”

AMOLEDs remain the preferred display option for smart watches, given their thinner form factor compared to TFT-LCDs.

Since smart-watch displays are smaller than 2-inches in size, display makers serving this market must purchase legacy Gen 3 and Gen 4 fabs suitable for producing tiny screens.

Chinese electronic components producer BOE led the smart watch display market in the third quarter, with a 28 percent share of shipments. BOE was followed by LG Display at 15 percent and Truly at 12 percent. The bulk of smart watch display shipments during this period were sent to Chinese smart phone brands Huawei and Xiaomi.