Apple supplier LG Display is expected to be the secondary vendor for the OLED panels that will feature on next year's fourth-generation iPhone SE models, reports The Elec.
The fourth-generation iPhone SE is rumored to feature an iPhone 14-like design with an OLED display, Face ID instead of Touch ID, a USB-C port, an Action button, and an all-screen look that does away with the Home Button. The device's display is expected to grow in size from 4.7 inches to 6.06 inches and use OLED for the first time.
BOE will be the primary supplier of the OLED panels, with LG Display providing backup, according to today's report. In previous years, Apple has solely tasked China-based BOE to supply LCD-based iPhone SE panels. But BOE has struggled before with yield issues for OLED iPhone panels, so bringing LG Display into the picture as a secondary supplier could be Apple's way of having a security blanket in case of future problems.
The panel prices for the iPhone SE 4 are said to be a lot lower than suppliers charge for the OLED displays used in the iPhone 15, since 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. Display manufacturers are believed to have been bidding to supply the panels since at least last August. Mass production of the device will reportedly begin in October of this year, with the iPhone SE 4 expected to arrive in spring 2025.
