Rumored 5.4-Inch iPhone May Have OLED Display Supplied by China's BOE

Chinese display maker BOE has partnered with touch panel maker General Interface Solutions as both companies aim to become suppliers of Apple's rumored 5.4-inch iPhone, according to a paywalled report from DigiTimes.

2020 iphone triad
Apple plans to release four so-called iPhone 12 models with OLED displays in the fall, including one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. All of the devices are expected to support 5G and they may sport a new design that includes more of a flat edged metal frame like the iPad Pro or iPhone 4.

The new 5.4-inch iPhone would be the smallest iPhone that Apple has ever offered with a notched display. By comparison, the iPhone 11 Pro has a 5.8-inch display and the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 6.5-inch display. With a notch, slim bezels, and lack of a home button, the 5.4-inch iPhone would have an even smaller footprint than the 4.7-inch iPhone 8.

Whereas the highest-end iPhone 12 models are expected to sport triple-lens rear camera systems with a time-of-flight sensor for 3D sensing, mid-range models like the 5.4-inch iPhone are said to have a dual-lens array and, according to 9to5Mac, may lack 3D sensing.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 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 ...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...

Top Rated Comments

Icaras Avatar
67 months ago

With a notch, slim bezels, and lack of a home button, the 5.4-inch iPhone would have an even smaller footprint than the 4.7-inch iPhone 8.
I love hearing this every time. This cannot come out soon enough!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jack Delgado Avatar
67 months ago
The writing is on the wall here--the 5.4 inch iPhone will be a part of the 'lesser' set of iPhones and as such, they can manage being sourced by BOE because they will be comparable to the iPhone 11 OLEDs.

What's not being said is that the 2020 Pro iPhones will have more cutting-edge technology in the form of 120hz OLED displays which are not able to be sourced by BOE.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thadoggfather Avatar
67 months ago
Better be nice quality.. sick of panel lottery games especially as I get older. Makes me less likely to want to shuffle up iPhones every year and stick with what I got.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
12643 Avatar
67 months ago
I don’t know what the global OLED supply chain looks like, but it’s pretty disappointing to hear of yet another Chinese supplier added to the mix. Apple, and the rest of the world, should be attempting to diversify away from China at all costs, not become more reliant on them.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
67 months ago
The "real" SE2

Bring it on!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
67 months ago
Pretty safe to say BOE is already locked in as the supplier at this point.

I'd expect BOE to supply 5.4" and 6.1" models, shared with LG. While Samsung gets an exclusive contract for 6.7".


I don’t know what the global OLED supply chain looks like, but it’s pretty disappointing to hear of yet another Chinese supplier added to the mix. Apple, and the rest of the world, should be attempting to diversify away from China at all costs, not become more reliant on them.
BOE ranks #2 globally in terms of OLED supply capacity. It will never make sense to diversify given China holds the largest supply chain and consumer market.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)