An escalating trade war between Japan and South Korea could make Chinese manufacturer BOE Technology a "strong contender" for OLED display orders from Apple, according to industry sources who spoke with DigiTimes.

2018 iphone trio
Samsung has been the undisputed leader in OLED display manufacturing, and as a result it has reportedly been the exclusive supplier of OLED displays for the iPhone X, ‌iPhone‌ XS, and ‌iPhone‌ XS Max, but the industry sources cited believe the Japanese-Korean trade row could upend its monopoly position.

Apple aims to diversify its supply chain as much as possible, often securing at least two suppliers for any given component, but Samsung's lead in OLED display manufacturing has left it with few alternatives so far.

LG, for example, reportedly temporarily halted one of its OLED display production lines due to manufacturing challenges earlier this year. LG already supplies OLED displays for the Apple Watch and is widely expected to become a secondary supplier of OLED displays for iPhones when capable to.

With at least one of BOE or LG joining the mix, Apple is poised to reduce its supply chain risk and improve its negotiating position.

Update: In related news, representatives from tech giants including Apple have traveled to South Korea to measure the impact of the trade war between Japan and South Korea, according to The Korea Herald. The tech giants are said to be "especially worried" about the possible impact on Samsung's DRAM production.

Top Rated Comments

Pepe4life Avatar
78 months ago
Yea let’s increase dependence on China, what could go wrong??
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DBZmusicboy01 Avatar
78 months ago
Screengate Chinese companies are very cheap quality.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PickUrPoison Avatar
78 months ago
microLED please.
Maybe 2025, maybe later. You’ll know it’s coming when it hits the Watch first, it shouldn’t be more than a few years after that for iPhone.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Degerz Avatar
77 months ago
You are so wrong.
Japan has moved on and focused on different aspects of engineering and tech,just like USA and say Germany.

In terms of OLED production,it may not be worth investing into research and production of them anymore.patents are also involved.
that’s why Japan isn’t making OLED panels.
Samsung is heavily invested and master in smaller screen OLED panel technology whereas LG doesn’t specialise in phone OLED panels ,but LG is the only and main manufacturer of large TV OLED panels,something that Samsung doesn’t do.
This doesn’t mean either isn’t competitive in technology anymore,does it?
Japan is declining in terms of technology and they could not be anymore pathetic than they are now. They don't even have an independent industry anymore to be able to do logic/DRAM/NAND fabrication or produce OLED panels yet a single Korean company can do all of that ...

The reason why Japan isn't producing OLED panels is because they truly don't care about having independently developed core technology anymore. Why else is the Softbank Group thinking about relisting ARM Holdings ? ;)

Whether it is LG or Samsung specializing in OLED technology for different markets means nothing since South Korea is the winner regardless while Japan doesn't specialize much at all in high-end technology ...

Japan isn't the industrial manufacturing prowess anymore it once used to be as you think it is and they're becoming a more service oriented economy so they've acknowledged this to combat their decline and foreign competition from China or Korea ...

Apple may as well tap into BOE Technology since its upper management cares about having competency in key core technology plus it's executives must have access to vast funds of state-subsidies to be competitive in R&D as well so they'd be a perfect supplier for Apple supposing they don't have any political qualms ...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Degerz Avatar
77 months ago
That’s terrible news if Apple uses Chinese BOE..
so what happened to Apple’s investment in Japan Display for OLED panel production?
Samsung is fantastic but I really don’t like the idea of Chinese panels.
It's because Japan isn't all that competitive in high-end technology anymore. Do they even have the know how to be able to mass produce OLED panel displays ?

China offers low prices and South Korea probably has a more efficient method for mass producing OLED panel displays ...

Also, if Apple has to intervene so that Japan Display Inc opens their OLED panel production plant in China then why even bother at that point since JDI is relying on Chinese labour regardless when the state-subsidized BOE Technology is better ?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PickUrPoison Avatar
78 months ago
Yea let’s increase dependence on China, what could go wrong??
100% dependence on Samsung/South Korea is not ideal; having multiple suppliers makes sense. No need to be frightened of China.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices from credible sources. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone Reportedly Moving to All-Screen Design in Two Stages

Sunday June 22, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple has long been working towards an iPhone with an all-screen design, and it might finally achieve the feat in a few more years from now. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple will shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on new iPhone models released next year. A year after that, he expects Apple to release a redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone model....
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro's Alleged Vapor Chamber Cooling System Partly Revealed

Sunday June 22, 2025 6:37 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models are rumored to be equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, and a leaker known as Majin Bu today shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the system. Many high-end Android smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra are equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, which can manage heat dissipation inside the...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...