Refurbished Smartphone Display Shipments Jump 20% to 298 Million, Overtaking New Devices in Q1
Updated
Updated · Informa PLC · Aug 5
Refurbished Smartphone Display Shipments Jump 20% to 298 Million, Overtaking New Devices in Q1
3 articles · Updated · Informa PLC · Aug 5
Summary
298 million display panels went to the refurbished smartphone market in Q1 2026, up 20% from a year earlier and above the 289 million shipped to smartphone manufacturers.
Omdia said panel makers redirected supply as rising memory prices pushed handset brands to cut production, with demand for displays used in new smartphones forecast to fall 12% in 2026.
That shift reflects the industry's rigid cost base: panel plants are hard to idle quickly, so suppliers use the refurbishment market to keep factories running and absorb fixed costs.
OLED panels are increasingly part of that mix, rising to 7% of refurbished-market shipments from 2% a year earlier, signaling broader availability of higher-end replacement screens.