BOE Reportedly Failed to Deliver First Shipment of OLED Panels for 'iPhone 12'

Chinese display maker BOE reportedly failed to deliver the first shipment of OLED panels for Apple's so-called iPhone 12, which is expected to be released later this year. According to Korea's DDaily, the failure was down to BOE's inability to pass OLED quality control tests.

BOE China
It's unclear from the Korean-language report when the tests where carried out and whether they will have any material impact on the so-called ‌iPhone‌ 12's production and launch. Apple was said to be "aggressively testing" flexible OLED screens made by BOE as early as August last year.

BOE is the world's top producer of large liquid crystal screens and already makes liquid crystal displays for Apple's iPads and MacBooks, but the firm has had its sights set firmly on the expanding OLED panel market, which is growing year on year.

Despite Apple's focus on diversifying its suppliers for various components in its products, Samsung Display is still expected to provide nearly 80 percent of the OLED displays used in this year's "‌iPhone‌ 12" lineup.

Samsung was the exclusive display supplier for Apple's first OLED ‌‌iPhone‌‌, the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ X back in 2017. LG came on board the following year as a second supplier, and BOE is reportedly entering Apple's supply chain for the 2020 phones as Apple goes all-OLED in its flagship lineup for the first time.

Apple plans to release four "‌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.

BOE has reportedly partnered with touch panel maker General Interface Solutions as both companies aim to become suppliers of the rumored 5.4-inch ‌iPhone‌.

Tag: BOE
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Apple John Ternus 2019

Will John Ternus Really Be Apple's Next CEO?

Friday December 5, 2025 9:01 am PST by
There is uncertainty about Apple's head of hardware engineering John Ternus succeeding Tim Cook as CEO, The Information reports. Some former Apple executives apparently hope that a new "dark-horse" candidate will emerge. Ternus is considered to be the most likely candidate to succeed Cook as CEO. The report notes that he is more likely to become CEO than software head chief Craig Federighi, ...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....

Top Rated Comments

Piggie Avatar
72 months ago
Everyone in the industry seems to agree Samsung currently makes the very best panels on the market.

Apple wants to make the best quality phone they can, as they keep saying.

So let's cheap out and use non Samsung panels as we can get some cheaper by someone else, as long as they are "good enough"

Sorry, but I don't like that thinking, esp when you consider the GIANT markup Apple puts on all the components anyway.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
syklee26 Avatar
72 months ago
This is how Apple trying to squeeze profit Might have backfired... Everyone in the industry knows BOE is not yet a reliable player in OLED market yet... just go with Korean suppliers!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
appleguy123 Avatar
72 months ago

Everyone in the industry seems to agree Samsung currently makes the very best panels on the market.

Apple wants to make the best quality phone they can, as they keep saying.

So let's cheap out and use non Samsung panels as we can get some cheaper by someone else, as long as they are "good enough"

Sorry, but I don't like that thinking, esp when you consider the GIANT markup Apple puts on all the components anyway.
If Samsung is the only supplier, they can charge Apple any amount for the screen (until Apple doesn’t make a profit) because the iPhone is dependent on them as a supplier. 2 or more suppliers allows Apple negotiating power. As long as the quality control standards are high, it doesn’t matter who the manufacturer is. It seems like Apple is keeping the standards high given how hard it has been for other companies to make Apple OLED displays at high yield.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Val-kyrie Avatar
72 months ago
This is no surprise. In both my experience and according to hardware test sites, BOE makes the lowest quality LCDs among all primary component manufacturers.



('https://www.macrumors.com/2020/06/12/boe-oled-panels-for-iphone-12-not-shipped/')

Chinese display maker BOE reportedly failed to deliver the first shipment of OLED panels for Apple's so-called iPhone 12, which is expected to be released later this year. According to Korea's DDaily ('http://m.ddaily.co.kr/m/m_article/?no=196699'), the failure was down to BOE's inability to pass OLED quality control tests.



It's unclear from the Korean-language report when the tests where carried out and whether they will have any material impact on the so-called iPhone 12's production and launch. Apple was said to be "aggressively testing ('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/08/21/apple-aggressively-testing-oled-displays-from-chinas-boe-for-2020-iphone-lineup/')" flexible OLED screens made by BOE as early as August last year.

BOE is the world's top producer of large liquid crystal screens and already makes liquid crystal displays for Apple's iPads and MacBooks, but the firm has had its sights set firmly on the expanding OLED panel market, which is growing year on year.

Despite Apple's focus on diversifying its suppliers for various components in its products, Samsung Display is still expected to provide nearly 80 percent of the OLED displays used in this year's "iPhone 12" lineup.

Samsung was the exclusive display supplier for Apple's first OLED ‌iPhone‌, the ‌iPhone‌ X back in 2017. LG came on board the following year as a second supplier, and BOE is reportedly entering Apple's supply chain for the 2020 phones as Apple goes all-OLED in its flagship lineup for the first time.

Apple plans to release four "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.

BOE has reportedly partnered ('https://www.macrumors.com/2020/03/17/5-4-inch-iphone-oled-display-boe/') with touch panel maker General Interface Solutions as both companies aim to become suppliers of the rumored 5.4-inch iPhone.

Article Link: BOE Reportedly Failed to Deliver First Shipment of OLED Panels for 'iPhone 12' ('https://www.macrumors.com/2020/06/12/boe-oled-panels-for-iphone-12-not-shipped/')
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Digital Dude Avatar
72 months ago

Everyone in the industry seems to agree Samsung currently makes the very best panels on the market.

Apple wants to make the best quality phone they can, as they keep saying.

So let's cheap out and use non Samsung panels as we can get some cheaper by someone else, as long as they are "good enough"

Sorry, but I don't like that thinking, esp when you consider the GIANT markup Apple puts on all the components anyway.
If there's a cheaper way to do something, Tim Cook will find it.?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EmotionalSnow Avatar
72 months ago

Hopefully this doesn’t delay things even further because I can’t wait even more time to use a modern-looking and feeling iPhone that fits into my hand since the 5s
I am not an expert but I don't think this will delay the new iPhones due to Apple using Samsung as main supplier but the production volume may be lower.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)