Apple Set to Surpass Samsung as Largest Purchaser of AMOLED Displays in 2021

Apple is set to surpass Samsung as the largest purchaser of AMOLED displays for smartphones later this year following the release of the iPhone 13 lineup, which will push the adoption of flexible AMOLED displays in iPhones to 80%, according to a new report from DigiTimes.

iphone 12 pro display video
Apple adopted flexible AMOLED displays for its entire iPhone 12 lineup and is expected to continue doing so for the 2021 iPhones. According to today's report, which cites estimation numbers from research firm Omdia, Apple is expected to purchase 169 million display panels for the ‌iPhone‌ this year, compared to last year's order of 114.5 million.

The sources cited Omdia estimates as indicating that Apple is expected to increase its AMOLED panels to 169 million pieces for iPhones in 2021 from 114.5 million in 2020, while Samsung's corresponding purchases are estimated to rise slightly to 157 million pieces from 152.3 million.

Samsung Display is expected to remain the largest supplier of AMOLED panels for iPhones in 2021, offering an estimated 110 million pieces, compared to LG Display's 50 million and BOE's nine million, the sources said.

Alongside flexible AMOLED displays for the ‌iPhone 13‌ lineup, higher-end models in the lineup, such as the Pro and Pro Max, are expected to include LTPO backpanel technology. LTPO panels not only help reduce power consumption for the display, which could enable-feature such as an always-on display for the ‌iPhone‌, but it also allows a higher refresh rate.

Apple has been rumored to include a 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate in its ‌iPhone‌ for some time; however, none of the rumors have yet proven to be true. Apple was reportedly close to adopting LTPO technology with the 2020 ‌iPhone‌ but likely decided to focus on the introduction of 5G on the ‌iPhone‌ as the main selling point instead. With the ‌iPhone 13‌, Apple is now being widely reported to include LTOP display technology with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Top Rated Comments

ian87w Avatar
37 months ago

Why the sudden increase from Apple? The iPhone 12 release turned out to be a super cycle, but they can't really expect the same thing to happen again this year, can they? And even if they do, the increase implies that it's expected to be a super-er cycle. Why?
This might coincide with the rumor of Apple dropping support for the 6s, a break from last when ios 14 didn’t drop any older iPhones. There are still a lot of people using the 6s phones. This year, if Apple maintained the same pattern, the iPhone 12 will remain in the lineup and get cheaper, and become the cheapest OLED iPhone Apple ever sell. Those things together could trigger more upgrades.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
37 months ago

Why the sudden increase from Apple? The iPhone 12 release turned out to be a super cycle, but they can't really expect the same thing to happen again this year, can they? And even if they do, the increase implies that it's expected to be a super-er cycle. Why?
2020: 40% of iPhone lineup was OLED
Today: 60% of lineup is OLED
Sept. 2021: 70% is likely to be OLED

It doesn't have to be a super cycle. Right now, the volume sellers are iPhone 11 and iPhone 12. In September 2021, the XR will likely be discontinued and be replaced by iPhone 11. The iPhone 12 and 12s are OLED, both of which will become volume sellers.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RedTheReader Avatar
37 months ago
Why the sudden increase from Apple? The iPhone 12 release turned out to be a super cycle, but they can't really expect the same thing to happen again this year, can they? And even if they do, the increase implies that it's expected to be a super-er cycle. Why?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnny907 Avatar
37 months ago
1) Samsung makes their own OLED panels.
2) Apple buys OLED panels FROM Samsung.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Spinn_ Avatar
37 months ago
That’s a lot of screens. Apple must be planning on selling more of the 13 line than they did with 12 line this year.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bwayne Avatar
37 months ago
Apple is probably anticipating a huge wave of people upgrading their iPhones now that they’re all crawling out of the cellar and will be seen in public with a 2 year old iPhone 11.

I’ll be replacing my iPhone XS with the new 5G mini iPad when that comes out. Makes more sense to me these days.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...