Is your Samsung LCD made by Samsung? Not always.

Samsung is certainly one of the best LCD panel manufacturers out there. That's why many will happily throw down a 40% premium for a Samsung branded LCD PC monitor over a panel of similar specification made in Taiwan or China. Thing is, the display panel under that spiffy Sammy logo might not be a Samsung manufactured panel at all. According to a Samsung official speaking on condition of anonymity to the Korea Times, Samsung has been using low-cost, foreign made LCD panels in "several Samsung monitor models, including the 20-inch XL20." Apparently, "some laptop PCs" also don't incorporate Samsung panels. Of course, we understand the competitive pressures which Samsung operates within. We're also aware that there are many low cost, quality alternatives to Samsung's own panels. However, when Korean (and presumably, the world's) consumers pay a premium for an LCD from the world's largest LCD panel maker, well, let's just say we can understand the outrage at not being told of their LCD's true origins.

[sornypanafonic @ Mar 26th 2007 9:38AM]

big fan of their crap, really am, but my 30" hidef 1080i tv is royally f*cked, i mean both sides are blurry, with only the middle showing txt clearly. ive been switching blame between it and my ps3 but its def the tv. thaaaanks saaaammy, i paid for korean crap not chinese!! if only i could afford japanese crap.

[ganzhimself @ Mar 26th 2007 9:43AM]

For the price I paid for my 19" wide screen LCD monitor, I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, it was cheaper than the no-name brand when I bought it. Looks nicer than many LCDs I've used, so I could care less.

[Pete D @ Mar 26th 2007 9:43AM]

Hopefully this doesn't stand true all the way up into their high end LCD's... If it does, I see a class action lawsuit on the way.

[Craig @ Mar 26th 2007 9:59AM]

I'm sure any of us here can name a dozen display manufacturers who don't make their own panels. How is Samsung any different? I don't think the fact that they do actually fabricate LCD panels really makes a difference.

It may be a bad business decision, and it's sure to piss off a lot of their customers, but I don't think it's illegal or unethical and I don't think there would be very much to support a lawsuit here.

[Pete D @ Mar 26th 2007 11:41AM]

The difference is Samsung IS an LCD OEM. When I buy a Samsung LCD TV, I am paying a premium for Samsung LCD Glass. If I wanted XYZ glass at a lower cost, I'd buy a different brand. So yes, buying an LCD TV from Samsung, means I expect to be provided with LCD glass that is made by Samsung.

[Sasha @ Jun 12th 2008 2:49PM]

For their high-end displays Samsung does use proprietary technology that they develop, but that technology is not always worth the cost difference when compared to the "off the shelf" tech used for their other models...but the point is they do use their own tech for high-end, typcially its the chips inside that are different.

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Mar 26th 2007 9:44AM]

It's time for Samsung to return to its roots: producer of cheap crap.

Or just spin off new unit for cheaper stuff or new unit for higher quality units.

Samsung now isn't what it was 10 years ago - and they moved in right direction. But their prices went up - and it is time for them to do something about the change of image.

[alabaster @ Mar 26th 2007 9:57AM]

I can confirm this. I have a SyncMaster 710N with a defective lcd panel. Took it apart and found that the panel was made by ChungHwa :/ Rip-off indeed

[craig @ Mar 26th 2007 10:07AM]

"However, when Korean (and presumably, the world's) consumers pay a premium for an LCD from the world's largest LCD panel maker, well, let's just say we can understand the outrage at not being told of their LCDs true origins."

I can't. No company manufacturers 100% of the components in its products anymore and I doubt few people select a Samsung because they feel the company is the supplier of the best panels. When you buy a monitor, you select the product based on performance, features, and price. If you are subsequently disappointed in learning the origins of its parts, the blame is on you for not choosing based on legitimate criteria.

It doesn't surprise me that a consumer electronics company doesn't sole source its parts from a sibling division. The world is full of examples of that.

[Andrew Jones @ Mar 26th 2007 10:11AM]

"I can't. No company manufacturers 100% of the components in its products anymore and I doubt few people select a Samsung because they feel the company is the supplier of the best panels. When you buy a monitor, you select the product based on performance, features, and price. If you are subsequently disappointed in learning the origins of its parts, the blame is on you for not choosing based on legitimate criteria.

It doesn't surprise me that a consumer electronics company doesn't sole source its parts from a sibling division. The world is full of examples of that."

There's a BIG difference between using TI DSP chips in your Samsung LCD and using a Wang Chung LCD in your Samsung LCD. It's always been expected that Samsung wouldn't manufacture 100% of the LCD components, but you would think that the 'world's largest LCD manufacturer' would at least use their own LCD panels.

[Jonathan Allen @ Mar 26th 2007 10:16AM]

what's the world coming to when Korea starts outsourcing?

What's next? China starts building stuff in Kazakhstan? Niiiiiiice.

[A_M @ Mar 26th 2007 10:21AM]

The whole problem is that they are mixing the Sammy panels with the non-sammy one in the same product, with the same product number. This creates a 'panel lottery', whereby you don't know what panel you will be getting, even though they have exactly the same specs, and product no.

At the moment this is most evidenced in the 226BW (The new Samsung widescreen 22" ). Take a look at this very long thread on hardform - http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1144130&page=56

For the 226BW there are two distinct panels; A and S. The S is the samsung one, and the A is made by a different company (I have forgotten the name, something like Autoptics, they aren't a 'bad' makers of LCD monitors per se, infact if I remember correctly they are the second larger manufacturer of LCD panels). The problem is that the quality of their panels in this particular monitor is less than Samsung's own)

I have the 226BW on order from play.com, and I am hoping to get one of the 'S' panels. I find it disgraceful that a company can do something like this.

[John Stracke @ Mar 26th 2007 10:39AM]

I have the 226BW on order from play.com, and I am hoping to get one of the 'S' panels. I find it disgraceful that a company can do something like this.
Yup. Trademarks are supposed to be a consumer protection measure, so that, if a company has a good reputation, consumers know that their brand won't get slapped on shoddy imitations. Now Samsung is (allegedly) doing exactly that.

[The Wise One @ Nov 28th 2008 8:13PM]

The company you're talking about is AU Optronics. I 've also recently ordered a Samung panel, the LN32A550 from newegg and when it comes to the LN32A550 I hear "A" is the worst and the "C" panel (Chi Mei Optoelectronics) is second best. Hopefully I get the "S" panel.

[Ray-- @ Mar 26th 2007 10:30AM]

I just purchased a 206BW and the panel is made by AOU or something like that and not samsung... the 226BW is even trickier because some panels are in fact made by samsung and others are made by AOU.. so its like roll the dice to see which one you get... people seem to favor the samsung panels but no has done a side-by-side that i know of to see if one is worse than the other... so basically people are buying the monitors and checking the codes on the back (apparently samsung panels have an S int he part number and the other ones have an A -- so you can tell which one you got) and then returning them if they're not samsung panels...

i dont mind the one i got (its not samsung) and the price was good so im not complaining... but see why people are a little uspet about the 226BW since the panel is a crap-shoot... kind of like the Dell lottery.

[Ben Levy @ Mar 26th 2007 10:34AM]

I got a shock like this when I opened up my Canon camera and saw a Sony LCD. I use 2 Samsung LCD monitors at home. I wonder if I was tricked too, because I was willing to pay more because I know they make quality products.

[strider_mt2k @ Mar 26th 2007 10:40AM]

Samsung is merely trying to be the Korean version of Sony.

They don't want to piss everyone off exactly like Sony does, but they ARE willing to innovate new and interesting ways to piss everyone off.

Kudos to innovation!

[kevan @ Mar 26th 2007 10:50AM]

My SyncMaster 205BW has an off camber LCD screen in it, from time to time doesn't show a picture unless I power cycle it, bleeds light around the edges, also has dark spots in some places, and shows some funky colors when it gets confused.
(This would be a replacement for the first one that was DOA.)

This announcement makes sense to me...
I'll never buy a samsung again.

[Steve @ Mar 26th 2007 11:27AM]

Sony has been known to be using displays bought from Samsung from long ago...I don't see what the big problem is. They probably make sure that the parts form suppliers are reliable enough for their brand...

[Andy @ Mar 26th 2007 12:10PM]

The thing is exactly what someone else said. Dell does this too. They come up with a good panel on their first runs, and then switch to cheap panels on the same model, when good word of the models is running in the wild. If you wanna pay a premium, you have to go NEC or Eizo, or maybe Sony, but right now Sony doesn't have any LCDs. I think a couple of new ones are coming, though.

It doesn't matter who makes the LCD panel itself, only that they're consistent with putting the same panel on the same model. If it's crap, then all the same models can be considered crap, and vice versa. What Samsung and Dell, and I'm willing to bet most of the other cheap brands do, is just plain bait and switch, and they should be sued.

[macona @ Mar 26th 2007 12:14PM]

Your expectations are unwarranted. It just like with CRTs you may be buying a NEC monitor but the tube is really made by toshiba or another company. To Samsung the LCD is just another component in the display and will acquire it from the lowest bidder if they dont make it themselves.

I couldnt even imagine how much it costs to tool up for s certain size LCD. Cant be cheap. If another manufacturer is making a LCD that fits your requirements, quality specs, brightness, viewing angle and response time then why not? I would if it could save me on my bottom line.

I doubt most people could tell the difference between brands sitting side to side.

[Andrew Jones @ Mar 26th 2007 12:27PM]

"Trademarks are supposed to be a consumer protection measure, so that, if a company has a good reputation"

This brings up an interesting point, for those saying that there's no reason for being upset. What if Wang Chung started making the monitors themselves, and slapped the Samsung logo on them? You would expect SAMSUNG to retaliate, right?

[MrSatyre @ Mar 26th 2007 1:08PM]

Many, many big name brands have a wide variety of parts manufactured by other OEM companies. This should not come as a surprise to any of you if you consider the enormous number of SKUs these brands produce. Many OEM brands produce parts for larger, better known brands because they are more cost-effective than building a new plant for every line expansion or new product design that hits the market. This does not mean the parts are substandard, as they are manufactured by the OEM companies according to the specifications of the buyer, in this case Samsung. Chungwa Picture Tubes (CPT) is just one of dozens of smaller brands in Asia which produce panels and drivers for world-wide brands like Samsung, Sony, LG, etc.

[shimman @ Mar 26th 2007 1:32PM]

well, like this is a news; panasonic, sony, sharp, & samsung have been using panels from other companies

i am not sure why because el cheapo wal-mart of computer world, dell often uses brand name panels from lg-philip, samsung, nec etc.

perhaps, that's why dell is selling tons of lcd monitors

btw, i even saw pansonic & pioneer plasma tv with samsung panels in them...can you believe it?

[Jack Chance @ Mar 26th 2007 2:43PM]

What separates a quality brand from a cheapo brand (and the source of much of the price difference) is quality control. When you buy a cheap electronics product you are playing the lottery... if you get a good one it is a great deal. If you get a crap one, it is a pain to return it, etc.... when to buy from a name-brand you are more likely to get something that works.

So I wouldn't care if Samsung was outsourcing their panels AS LONG as they subjected them to the same quality control and customer service.

The problem , it seems, is that some companies are NOT putting the outsourced components through the same quality control as their own.

-jc

[Klaus Burton @ Mar 26th 2007 4:18PM]

What makes you commenters think that Korean-made products would be worse than those made anywhere else? Factory employees are slackers anywhere in the world, whether it's the U.S. or U.K. or Korea or space it's still a job on the lower end of the pay spectrum and doesn't exactly attract people who take pride in their career.

[danny @ Mar 26th 2007 6:08PM]

"what's the world coming to when Korea starts
outsourcing?"

They been outsourcing many thing from many years
ago, you arrogant dumbass.

Bet you don't even know they have one of top ten economy in the world...

Sometimes, it's hard to deal with this
cultureless, arrogant, fat american people.

What? you think you have a culture?
You really should start travelling.
Travel which doesn't involve universial studio,
and grand caynon.

[franzbonus @ Mar 26th 2007 8:52PM]

Engadget, tell us something we DON'T know.

[Jonathan @ Mar 26th 2007 9:57PM]

I did some research on this topic before purchasing my next generation of LCD monitors. After doing a lot of research and reading up on a lot of things, I realized the company of AOC made a lot of branded monitors -- even Dell for some.

I went ahead and purchased two 20" LCDs that are AOC branded and I have been amazed by their quality and size. Truly amazing LCDs.

[corrector @ Mar 26th 2007 10:32PM]

ChungHwa is Korean, so it's not rip off
Korean products' prices went up, because of currency exchange drastically changed over the last 10 years
Although Japanese products are "trustable" there are plentiful amount of stuff to buy from samsung. Even if they are ripping off of some other people or companies whatever, then lawsuit is would be on the way for sure, but they already went to court about it like 2 times already I think
well either way, their screens, and cellphones are killers, there's like no competition

no wonder they are the largest LCD monitor sellers in the world, if they weren't, then they wouldn't be so popular, and so be a "debatable subject"

[Subbu @ Mar 26th 2007 11:56PM]

Few things. Chunghwa/AUO/Hannstar are Taiwanese, NOT Korean companies. Sony does NOT make LCD panels. They have a 50-50 JV with Samsung called S-LCD. Dell/HP and a lotta other OEMs do NOT make LCD panels. They source it from companies like Samsung/AUO/LG-Philips/CPT etc.At current investment levels, it costs upwards of US$2 Billion to set up a gen 8 plant.Samsung CE is under NO obligation to buy from Samsung LCD..Just that it adds to their vertical integration..And finally, LCD panel is different from LCD glass. All companies (including AUO/Chunghwa/S-LCD/etc) source it from Corning and a few other glass suppliers...
A semblance of reality never hurt anyone ;)

[Anonymous @ Mar 26th 2007 11:52PM]

This happens all the time. The people complaining above are drama queens. I recently purchased a 32" Sharp LCD. Why? I read reviews (by Robert Heron of Tech TV fame, and currently the Hi-Def guru at Ziff Davis) that claimed it was "The best LCD in it's class!!". When I got it home, the picture was horrible. I calibrated it, still horrible. So I dig a little bit further and it turns out that the 32" model was outsourced to a shitty Taiwanese LCD manufacturer while Sharp's new plant was being built. Obviously I immediately took the LCD back and got another model. The point is, if you don't do your research, and you aren't lucky enough to have bought from a retailer that allows returns or exchanges, then it's your own fault. It was my fault for sure, but I was lucky. Do your research.

[Leo Lee @ Mar 27th 2007 6:15AM]

Haha... that's the name of a Korean liquor... maybe that's why it's defective...

Most Korean products are masss produced in the same factory and then stamped with different brand names to reflect the mother company... most likely Chunghwa may be a small firm that was absorbed by Samsung but still carries its former name when manufacturing components for Samsung...

Yay Asian megacorps...

[KoreanBoy @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:43AM]

Anyway, Samsung's LCD pannel is the best. isn't it?

[David @ Oct 14th 2007 6:06PM]

Why doesn't Samsung publish their power specifications? Does anyone know if they are power hogs? There is an article on www.getwithgreen.com in their A/V section that compares power usage of 37" LCD TVs. Samsung didn't seem to have data readily available.

[MortalWarrior @ Dec 31st 2007 10:16AM]

Well for mei look into lots of things when buying a product. We buy samsung because we believe in there workmen ship, if they are going to buy panels from AUO, CMO or any other chinese/taiwanese manufacture then why do we have to buy samsung. We can simply buy BENQ, ACER, AOC or VIEWSONIC. They all use panels from AUO. One thing i have found out is that AUO panels are less expensive.\

The secret behind this is that they sell OEM manufactured panels only to some countries, this i have noticed from a long time. When i look for a LCD monitor i believe in PHILIPS. they have the longest history in electronics and display units. Now philips and LG are working together on producing the LCD panels. And i am sure Philips LCD monitors have the LG.PHILIPS panel. BUT what about LG MONITORS ? Do they use LG.PHILIPS panle.

The easiest way to find out the panel is LG.PHILIPS or not is by pressing the Panel slightly, IF you dont see a ripple then it is LG.PHILIPS. This works on the newest LG.PHILIPS panels. I am using a LG L194WT LCD monitor. I am sure the panel is not LG.PHILIPS. I dont know what panel they are using. ANY OF YOU GUYS HAVE A IDEA ?

[Fergusc @ Apr 20th 2008 4:08PM]

I have just spoke to samsung today,and according to the lady in thei senior customer service team, "samsung do not use other companys parts in their LCD TVs" which is complete and utter bulls**t if you just take a look online!

[Cat @ Dec 18th 2008 6:10PM]

i E-mailed samsung uk and the response was this information is confidential so i phoned samsung uk today and had the same response and that any such suggestion would be slander..ok so i called back spoke to someone sensible and they are taking this issue serious..... i don't mind that components are made in another companys factory providing they are manufactured to exacting standards however being a top brand, shouldn't these components be installed in house and only made up of samsung technology ... well im looking to purchase the LEA656 range and i discovered they are being produced for the UK market at a samsung plant in slovakia but does anyone have any information on the components are they genuine samsung parts or not; any info greatly appreciated.