BOE Fails Apple's OLED Panel Validation for Second Time This Year
Chinese display maker BOE has reportedly failed yet again to secure a supply order from Apple for OLED panels for iPhones.
According to TheElec, OBE is still facing manufacturing issues at its Chengdu plant in Sichuan province, meaning the display maker has failed to secure Apple's validation for the OLED screens for the second time this year.
BOE's plant in Mianyang – in the same province – suffered the same fate in June, due to a low production yield rate of around 20 percent.
Apple's review for Chengdu began in September but only lasted a month and ended in failure in October, according to the report. BOE will now have to wait until the first half of 2021 to reattempt to clinch a supply deal, which means next year's iPhone series will likely use panels made by Samsung and LG Display.
BOE will have to wait until between May and June before it learns the results of its third review. If it does pass, the panels it supplies will be able to be used for refurbished iPhone 12 models.
Apple is expected to ship next year's "iPhone 13" in four models and similar sizes to this year's iPhone 12 series, but the OLED panels used for the next-generation iPhone are said to be more technologically sophisticated.
Rumors suggest Apple is planning to adopt 120Hz ProMotion displays for at least two models in next year's iPhone lineup, made possible by a shift to low-power LTPO OLED technology. LTPO offers a more power efficient backplane, which turns the individual pixels on and off on the display, and allows for better battery life.
The two models with LTPO are likely to be the Pro models, which are the ones rumored to adopt ProMotion technology. All four 2021 iPhone models are expected to use on-cell touch screens as well, which allows multitouch functionality to be embedded on top of a thin-film transistor (TFT) rather than as a separate component above the display.
Popular Stories
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest.
Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely.
Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
In addition to updating many of its existing products, Apple is expected to unveil five all-new products this year, including a smart home hub, a Face ID doorbell, a MacBook with an A18 Pro chip, a foldable iPhone, and augmented reality glasses.
Below, we have recapped rumored features for each product.
Smart Home Hub
Apple home hub (concept)
Apple's long-rumored smart home hub should...
Apple is working on a small, wearable AI pin equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, and microphones, reports The Information. If it actually launches, the AI pin will likely run the new Siri chatbot that Apple plans to unveil in iOS 27.
The pin is said to be similar in size to an AirTag, with a thin, flat, circular disc shape. It has an aluminum and glass shell, and two cameras at the...
Apple's App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple TV service are experiencing an outage at the current time, according to Apple's System Status page.
Apple says that some users may be experiencing issues with the App Store and iTunes Store. Apple also says some users may be seeing intermittent issues with Apple TV. The Apple TV Channels feature is down too, and users may be unable to access some...
