Apple Negotiating With OLED Suppliers for Next Year's iPhone SE 4

Several of Apple's display suppliers have proposed their prices for supplying OLED displays for the fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Elec reports.

Samsung Display, BOE, and Tianma are all said to have entered their proposed prices for OLED panels for the iPhone SE 4, which is expected to launch next year. Previous iPhone SE models have all used LCD displays.

The report's sources said Samsung offered the lowest unit price of $30, BOE offered $35, and Tianma $40. Apple is reportedly haggling for $20, and negotiations are ongoing. Display manufacturers are believed to have been bidding to supply the panels since at least last August.

The panel prices are said to be a lot lower than suppliers charge for the OLED displays used in the iPhone 15, because the panels for the SE will use legacy parts identical to those used in the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14, so the suppliers won't need to make new investments in R&D.

In that respect, Samsung is said to have an advantage over its rivals since the Korean company can use its existing iPhone 14 OLED inventory.

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the fourth-generation ‌iPhone SE‌ will feature a 6.1-inch OLED display with a design similar to the iPhone 14. The ‌iPhone SE‌ 4 is also expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14.

In addition, the new model is likely to be equipped with an Action button and USB-C port, which we've covered extensively in previous reports. As things stand, it could be one of the first devices to feature an Apple-designed modem chip, too.