Sony OLED super-skinny TVs set to rain on Europe next year

14 Aug 2008

It has emerged that Sony’s celebrated ultra-thin OLED TV family will debut in Europe next year.

News emerging from Japan suggests the Sony XEL-1 OLED TV, which was launched there a year ago, will hit stores in Europe in 2009.

The XEL-1 11-inch screen is only 3mm thick and promises a high-definition experience.

However, reports suggest the price tag will be quite high for an 11-inch device at an estimated €1,200.

OLED TVs are thinner and more energy efficient than most flat-screen TVs on the market and Sony claims they offer brighter colours than LCD or plasma TV sets.

Sony is understood to be currently investing €135m in the development of OLED TVs.

OLED TV demand is predicted by research firm DisplaySearch to grow 14-fold to 2.8 million by 2012 from an estimated 200,000 units in 2009, which compares with 40pc growth predicted for LCD TVs during the same period.

By John Kennedy

Pictured: the super-skinny 11-inch Sony XEL-1 OLED TV

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com