Apple adds BOE to iPhone 14 OLED panel supply chain

Apple has reportedly signed a deal with BOE for OLED displays, enabling the screen producer to supply components for the upcoming "iPhone 14."

The contract, valued at CNY 50 million ($7.75 million), allegedly has BOE providing displays intended for use in the "iPhone 14." BOE will apparently provide a quarter of the display panels to the supply chain.

The supply will apparently involve only 6.1-inch OLED panels, which means it will be limited to the standard "iPhone 14," notes GSM Arena. Displays for other models, including the larger "iPhone 14 Max" and the Pro equivalents, will continue to use panels produced by Samsung and LG.

The addition to the supply chain is a major event for BOE, which has repeatedly attempted to join the iPhone suppliers roster for current-gen models for some time. BOE already has experience supplying displays, but only replacement units for earlier iPhone models, not current versions.

Despite the good news, there are conflicting reports as to how well BOE is faring in the OLED market in general. Reports from April 22 put BOE's supply offering into question, under claims the manufacturer was having yield issues as well as suffering the effects of the global chip shortage.

However, a MyDrivers report from April 20 claims BOE's 2021 annual shipments of flexible OLED smartphone panels reached 60 million, a year-on-year increase of 60%.