According to information the Nikkei, Japan’s largest business daily, spread today, Sony will finally start selling its XEL-1 mini OLED TV in Europe “sometime next year”. The device made its debut in the US in January, while it hit Japanese stores December 2007.
Sony will become the first company offering OLED TVs in Europe. The price is unknown at this point.
The company is planning to invest over $200 million in the mass production of larger OEL screens by the end of this fiscal year. Sony is not alone: Matsushita (Panasonic) is expected to build prototype 40-inch OLED displays in early 2009, with plans of offering them to Japanese customers in 2011. Samsung plans to roll out 14-inch OLED TVs in 2010.
The American market research firm DisplaySearch recently said they expect about 2.8 million OLED to be shipped globally by 2012.