OLED

Apple is in the final stages of certifying flexible OLED panels produced by BOE Display for use in future iPhones, according to a new report out today. The Nikkei Asian Review says Apple is "aggressively testing" screens made by the Chinese company, as it considers taking on BOE as an OLED supplier to cut costs and reduce its reliance on Samsung, which is believed to be Apple's primary...

Samsung is believed to be Apple's exclusive supplier of OLED displays for iPhones, but it may have company soon. In a research note shared with MacRumors, Barclays analysts said fellow Korean company LG will likely support OLED display production for 2019 iPhones, possibly followed by Chinese manufacturer BOE as early as 2020. Multiple reports have indicated that Apple may tap LG and BOE...

An escalating trade war between Japan and South Korea could make Chinese manufacturer BOE Technology a "strong contender" for OLED display orders from Apple, according to industry sources who spoke with DigiTimes. Samsung has been the undisputed leader in OLED display manufacturing, and as a result it has reportedly been the exclusive supplier of OLED displays for the iPhone X, ‌iPhone‌ XS,...

Samsung is the exclusive supplier of OLED displays for the iPhone X and newer, as part of a supply agreement with Apple. Due to fewer iPhone sales than anticipated in recent quarters, however, Apple has reportedly ordered fewer OLED displays from Samsung than both companies initially expected. Due to the shortfall, Korea's ETNews reports that Apple now owes Samsung a penalty in the amount of ...

Samsung is in talks with Apple about supplying OLED displays for a 16-inch MacBook Pro and future iPad Pro models, according to Korean site The Elec, which does not have a proven track record in terms of Apple rumors. We first heard about a potential 16-inch to 16.5-inch MacBook Pro from well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said the notebook will launch at some point in 2019 with an "all-new ...

Apple has contracted LG Display to begin production of OLED panels for iPhones. According to ETNews, the display panels will be produced at LG's E6 production line in Paju, with shipping to begin next month. LG will supply approximately 400,000 OLED panels to Apple before the end of the year, with the cost of each unit expected to be around $90. In September it was reported that LG's...

LG has been selected as a secondary supplier of flexible OLED display panels for iPhones, according to Korean publication ETNews. The report, citing unnamed sources, claims that LG's sixth-generation flexible OLED display panels recently passed a series of Apple's quality tests. LG is now preparing for mass production at one of its plants, the sources said. In April, The Wall Street...

Apple supplier LG Display has reported a second quarterly loss and cut its investment plans by $2.7 billion up to 2020, on mounting concerns for the smartphone market (via Reuters). LG shares fell 7 percent after it posted faster-than-expected declines in the price of display panels and an unpredictable outlook. The announcement follows news that another Apple supplier, Taiwan-based TSMC,...

China-based BOE Technology Group is stepping up its bid to become an OLED panel supplier for Apple's future smartphones, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. BOE is the world's top producer of large liquid crystal screens and already makes displays for Apple's iPads and MacBooks, but the firm now has its sights set on the lucrative OLED panel market. The earliest BOE...

LG Display has signed a deal with Apple to supply both LCD and OLED panels for the company's 2018 range of iPhones, according to a new report by Korea-based Newspin (via DigiTimes). The contract will see LG Display ship around 20 million LCD smartphone panels to Apple in 2018, according to the report, which also puts the number of OLED panels to be supplied by LG in the 3 to 4 million ballpark ...

Apple wants to reduce the price it pays Samsung for OLED displays used in current and future iPhone X models, according to DigiTimes. The report, citing industry sources, claims Apple is requiring Samsung to lower its price to $100 per panel, down around 9.1 percent from the $110 that research firm IHS Markit estimated the iPhone maker paid in 2017. Rather confusingly, the report first...

Samsung will begin manufacturing OLED displays for a new iPhone X and iPhone X Plus next month, according to Taiwan's Economic Daily News. Mockup of iPhone X and iPhone X Plus alongside iPhone 7 Plus via Reddit user SpaceKonk The report claims Samsung will restart its production line in May, with plans to double its production capacity in June. The timeline appears to be slightly ahead of...

Apple has managed to reduce the manufacturing cost of its iPhone X successor to a level much lower than the current flagship model, according to DigiTimes' research analyst Luke Lin. Lin cited information from Apple's upstream supply chain as indicating that the new device's MBOM [manufacturing bill of materials] will be more than 10% lower than that for iPhone X. He added that the MBOM of the...

Apple plans to order between 250 and 270 million display panels for its iPhone lineup this year, according to sources within Taiwan's panel industry. Around half that number will consist of OLED panels, to be shared among current-model iPhone X orders, a second-generation model, and a larger 6.5-inch iPhone, according to DigiTimes. Apple's purchases of OLED panels in 2018 will reach 110-130...

Apple's domination of the OLED supply chain is one of the reasons why three Chinese smartphone makers are seeking out alternative display technology in future handsets, according to a report today by DigiTimes. Huawei, Oppo, and Xiaomi are planning to adopt mini LED-backlit panels in smartphones launched later in 2018. The three companies believe that Apple "may extend use of AMOLED panels"...

Samsung Display will supply Apple with between 180 and 200 million flexible OLED displays for the iPhone in 2018, up from an estimated 50 million this year, according to The Korea Herald's sister publication The Investor. While the report focuses on the iPhone X, it's likely that a portion of the OLED displays will go towards the "iPhone X Plus" rumored to launch alongside the...

OLED panels are expected to penetrate up to 30 percent of the smartphone display market by 2018 through increasing adoption by smartphone vendors, according to industry sources (via DigiTimes). The supply of OLED panels will remain constrained in the first half of 2018 as Samsung Display will continue to be the sole supplier that can mass-produce the panels, while rivals including LG Display,...

Samsung looks on course to earn around $4 billion more in revenue making parts for the iPhone X than from the parts it makes for its own flagship Galaxy S8 handset, according to new research revealed on Monday. An analysis conducted by Counterpoint Technology for The Wall Street Journal based its prediction on projected sales in the 20 months after the new iPhones go on sale November 3....

Apple is widely expected to introduce its first iPhone with an OLED display later this year, after a decade of using solely LCD technology. Earlier reports peg Samsung as the exclusive supplier of OLED displays for the high-end smartphone, as the only company that can reliably produce both the quantity and quality of panels that Apple demands. That could change within a few years,...

Earlier in July, a report by The Korea Herald suggested that Apple and supplier LG Display were working on a deal that would see Apple investing $1.75-2.62 billion into LG Display's OLED manufacturing, specifically a plant that would be exclusively devoted to Apple orders. Today, Reuters has provided a few more details on LG Display's plans to enter the OLED display market for smartphones, which...