Samsung making iPhone 15 OLED screen earlier than normal

Long-time Apple supplier Samsung Display will start its production of iPhone 15 OLED panels a month earlier than planned, reportedly due to issues at a different supplier.

In early March, Samsung Display was said to have lost its exclusivity to produce displays for the entire iPhone 15 range. It now seems that some of those orders are being returned back to the South Korean producer.

According to sources of TheElec, Samsung Display will commence manufacturing of OLED panels intended for the iPhone 15 collection from May. This would be one month earlier than historical trends would suggest.

It is rumored that Chinese display producer BOE was expected to provide some OLED panels for the iPhone 15. However, it is apparently encountering issues in manufacturing, including light leak problems around the pill at the top for the front camera and sensors.

Since BOE has problems, Samsung will reportedly pick up the slack by starting work earlier. Manufacturing of panels for the Pro models will start in June as scheduled.

Samsung Display still won't have exclusivity on OLED displays, though, as LG Display is also expected to start making LTPO TFT OLED panels for upper iPhone 15 models in June.

Despite the production issues, sources claim BOE could still return to the iPhone 15 OLED display supply chain eventually. The company is said to be working to fix the light leak issue, and may return as a supplier within a year.

The event is the latest in BOE's continued attempts to become part of the lucrative iPhone supply chain. The company has invested heavily into production to try and secure orders from Apple, but various issues have caused the relationship to be troublesome.