Foxconn Taking Advantage of Sharp Acquisition With OLED Production Line Set for Upcoming iPhones

Monday January 9, 2017 5:54 AM PST by Mitchel Broussard
Sharp is gearing up to help create OLED displays for the iPhone inside of Foxconn's "iPhone City" plant in Zhengzhou, China, according to a new report by Nikkei (via DigiTimes). Foxconn acquired Sharp in 2016, and soon after reports emerged that Foxconn would use its newly acquired investment in Sharp to become a major OLED supplier for Apple.

Today's report points toward the OLED displays being manufactured for iPhone models further down the line than the upcoming 2017 model. Production on the Sharp line in the Foxconn plant is believed to begin "sometime in 2019," with around $864 million being spent on OLED production specifically for upcoming iPhones.
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Sharp plans to invest JPY100 billion (US$864 million) to set up an OLED production line at Foxconn Electronics' factory in Zhengzhou City, northern China, with production to begin in 2019, according to Japan-based Nikkei.

As Foxconn produces iPhones at the factory, the OLED capacity is believed to be specifically for supplying OLED panels for upcoming iPhone models.
According to recent rumors, Apple will launch at least one iPhone model with an OLED screen in 2017. From there, the actual design of the OLED screen has been conflicting, including reports that the screen will wrap around the edges of the device, or potentially a more traditional screen that still eliminates the bezels but includes a stainless steel frame.

Because OLED displays are more difficult to produce in mass quantities, in comparison to LCD displays, Apple's suppliers will be unable to meet the company's production capacity for the 2017 iPhone. The strain on production is believed to be the major reason why Apple is considering an OLED display for only one 2017 iPhone model, likely to be the higher-cost version.

Tags: Foxconn, digitimes.com, Sharp
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Xi Xone
28 months ago
Too bad only one model can have OLED :(
Rating: 2 Votes
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Avieshek
28 months ago
And that would be 6th Gen OLED Panels from Foxconn or any other Chinese OEM, by 2019, Samsung followed by LG are already prepping for 8th Gen OLED.

I just don't feel like using the latest & the greatest with Apple products these days. Seems like, would continue in the future.
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ShadowYYZ
28 months ago
OLED will be worth the premium.
Rating: 1 Votes
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Jsameds
28 months ago

I think you're going to be waiting for a while. Right now it's still experimental. It's not cost efficient. It doesn't scale for volume production (especially Apple volume). Until the big boys of screen tech (LG & Samsung) start to develop it more, mLED is going always be "right around the corner". To make mLED viable, more of the industry is going to have to adopt it. It can't just be Apple, else it will remain cost prohibitive. Apple has always been expert at getting the best cost for the tech they use. If they're the only one's using mLED, they really can't bargain it down. That's was the downfall of IGZO. Too expensive, not enough adoption.
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What are you talking about? My previous phone was an S5. That screen has no burn in nor retention issues. It's almost as nice as my S7 and that's a 2 year old phone. Either you're quoting old perceptions or thinking of retail display phones with the brightness cranked and static screens. Neither perception is indicative of today's OLED panels.


I work for a place that recycles phones from the public. Screen burn is a major issue, a *lot* of phones are regraded because of it.
Rating: 1 Votes
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2457282
28 months ago
how long until they transition to mLED. OLED, i don't believe is the future, but just a transition technology.
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