First 5G iPhone Shipments Won't Include OLED Panels From BOE Due to Validation Failure

Apple was hoping to use OLED panels sourced from display manufacturer BOE for some of the iPhone models coming in 2020, but BOE will not be a supplier for the first batch of panel shipments for the new iPhones due to manufacturing issues.

BOE China
According to DigiTimes, BOE has failed to secure Apple's validation for the OLED screens.

Apple is planning to release four OLED iPhones this year, measuring in at 5.4 inches, 6.1 inches (x2), and 6.7 inches. The 5.4-inch ‌iPhone‌ and one 6.1-inch model will be positioned as more affordable successors to the ‌iPhone‌ 11, while the other 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ and the 6.7-inch model will be "Pro" devices that follow the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro.

Samsung Display will be the major OLED panel supplier for all of the new iPhones, while BOE and LG Display were developing OLED screens for the entry-level 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ model. BOE is working out the quality issues impacting its manufacturing and is hoping to begin shipping OLED panels to Apple in the fourth quarter of 2020.

LG Display will pick up the slack and plans to ramp up shipments for the 6.1-inch model, shipping 23 to 25 million units up from the 18 to 23 million originally planned. Samsung Display is expected to ship 18 to 20 million units for the 5.4-inch ‌iPhone‌, 16 to 18 million for the higher-end 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌, and 22 to 24 million units for the high-end 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌.

BOE's failure should not have a significant impact on the release date of Apple's 2020 iPhones as Apple can rely on Samsung Display and LG Display. Other factors may somewhat delay this year's ‌iPhone‌ lineup, and there have been rumors suggesting some or all of the iPhones could be announced in September and launched later, perhaps in October.

BOE began volume manufacturing flexible OLED panels in 2019, but its yield rate barely reaches around 20 percent at the current time, which Apple is unable to work with.

BOE is now trying to improve its yield rate by combining the front-end process of its B7 fab and the backend process of the B11 line, indicated the sources, noting that the B7 fab, also located in Sichuan, kicked off volume production in 2017 and has since ramped up its yield rate to about 70-80% recently.

If BOE's efforts to improve yield rate are successful, it could ship somewhere around two million OLED panels to Apple in 2020, but that's a best case scenario.

DigiTimes' report confirms rumors from earlier in June that suggested BOE had failed to deliver its first shipment of OLED panels for Apple's ‌iPhone‌ 12 due to an inability to pass OLED quality control tests.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

New iPhone 17 Pro Details: Brighter Display, Best Battery Life, and More

Wednesday September 3, 2025 5:33 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models will feature a number of significant display, thermal, and battery improvements, according to new late-stage rumors. According to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital," the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature displays with higher brightness, making it more suitable for use in direct sunlight for prolonged periods. The iPhone 16 Pro and...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro's Biggest Design Mystery is Finally Solved

Friday September 5, 2025 9:33 am PDT by
Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 17 series in just four days from now, and the biggest design mystery surrounding the Pro models has finally been solved. In a report outlining his expectations for Apple's event next week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the iPhone 17 Pro models will have "a new cutout area on the bottom two-thirds of the phone that doubles as the wireless charging area."...
iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode is Limited to These iPhone Models

Wednesday September 3, 2025 1:19 pm PDT by
iOS 26 introduces an Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says Adaptive Power Mode can make "performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness, allowing some activities to "take longer," and automatically turning on Low Power Mode when the iPhone's remaining battery life...
airpods pro 2

Two Versions of AirPods Pro 3 Coming With These Differences

Monday September 8, 2025 4:51 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch two versions of the AirPods Pro 3 over 2025 and 2026, according to a Weibo leaker. Yesterday, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to debut the AirPods Pro 3 this year. They could arrive as soon as this week at Apple's "Awe dropping" event. Crucially, Kuo added that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to this year's AirPods ...

Top Rated Comments

JM Avatar
68 months ago
Cool, well that'll be a day one purchase for me then. Thanks for making that easy to decide.... definitely don't want BOE failure-screen.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CrazyForCashews Avatar
68 months ago

So you'd all better get the first shipments...
5.4" iPhone 12.

Day one.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trevorplease Avatar
68 months ago
Umm.. now I don’t want a BOE screen ever
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
one more Avatar
68 months ago
Good news, actually, as nobody makes them better than Samsung anyway! ?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wags Avatar
68 months ago
Don’t think I wanted BOE panel anyway first go around. No ‘which panel did you get thread’ then either.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
konqerror Avatar
68 months ago

????
BOE = Beijing Orient Electronics = China
LG and Samsung = South Korea
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)