LG Display steps in to iPhone SE 4 supply chain

Apple is tapping LG Display to be a secondary producer of OLED screens for the iPhone SE 4, giving it a backup to the often troubled BOE.

The iPhone SE 4 is rumored to be using an edge-to-edge OLED display, with a switch from Touch ID to Face ID also on the cards. While it was thought that BOE was the favorite to produce screens for the model, it may not be the only manufacturer.

According to a Tuesday report from The Elec, BOE will be the primary vendor for the iPhone SE 4's display, but LG Display will be a secondary vendor. As primary vendor, BOE will continue to be the main supplier and have the larger share of orders.

Apple often relies on multiple vendors for its key components. LG Display is usually paired with Samsung for most of Apple's display needs.

Apple brought BOE into its supply chains to try and reduce the reliance on Samsung Display as well as LG Display, however the relationship has been a bit rocky. The Chinese display company has been producing OLED screens for Apple's lower models of iPhone, but has regularly encountered production issues.

As well as trouble making screens for the iPhone 15, BOE is also said to be finding making OLED screens for the iPhone 16 tough going.

With the addition of LG Display for the iPhone SE 4 supply chain, Apple has a backup producer available in case BOE runs into problems yet again.

Reports from The Elec are sometimes spotty when it comes to product features. However, it is a lot more reliable when dealing with supply chain reports.

The iPhone SE 4 is anticipated to have an A18 chip with either 6GB ior 8GB of memory. Equipped with a 48-megapixel camera on the rear, it could be the most expensive version yet, starting from $499.