Apple has indeed selected LG Display as its second supplier of OLED panels for iPhone displays, following a successful series of quality tests, a report said on Friday.
Apple's MacBook and iPad screen vendor is looking to challenge Samsung's and LG's OLED stranglehold for the iPhone, giving Apple yet another supplier to leverage in price negotiations.
Apple has placed an order with LG Display for OLED and LCD display panels, a report claims, with the South Korean firm said to be providing screens that will be used in the 2018 iPhone refresh this fall, alongside existing display provider Samsung.
LG Display beat out rivals in the AMOLED smartwatch panel market last year, driven largely by its orders for the Apple Watch, according to new research estimates.
LG Display is indeed joining the supply chain for Apple's 2018 OLED iPhones, and will reportedly be delivering somewhere between 3 and 5 million panels — an amount higher than suggested in other recent rumors.
Apple's investment and patience may be rewarded soon, as a long-time rumored second supplier of OLED screens appears to be finally ramping up production, perhaps in time for the fall iPhone lineup.
Also citing supply chain sources, a noted analyst who was correct about iPhone X demand has chimed in regarding order quantities of the late 2018 iPhone lineup.
While Apple has successfully rolled out the "notch" on 10s of millions of iPhone X handsets with OLED display, rumor has it that the company may be finding it a bit hard to carve the same kind of notch into a conventional LCD screen.
From its release right up until this month's earnings announcement, analysts have said Apple will discontinue the iPhone X this year due to low sales. While the iPhone X itself might be replaced by new models and not continue for a second year, like the iPhone 7, there is no denying what Apple's premium smartphone has brought to the table.
This week on the AppleInsider podcast, Victor is joined by Sonya Mann to talk about the latest news in iPhone LCD and SE2, the difficulty with going all-in on USB-C, and EU proposed regulation of app stores.
Bloomberg is taking full advantage of Apple's quiet period in the week before its earnings release to issues a series of reports suggesting data points that could possibly be used to support its narrative that demand is somehow "weak" for the most profitable, attention-getting smartphone in the world—even as other vendors scramble to copy its looks and features.
A new report claiming to understand Apple's supply chain has asserted that LG screens might be facing development issues as a second source for OLED displays on upcoming iPhones, based on Apple's higher than normal scrutiny of LG prototypes—and then strangely claims this issue is driving iPhone X prices so high that "some" are not buying it.
Although it may feel like the iPhone X launched just recently, Samsung is reportedly kickstarting OLED panel production for two of this fall's iPhone models, including a 5.8-inch "iPhone X 2" and a 6.5-inch "iPhone X Plus."
The Apple supply chain is gearing up to start production of OLED panels for the 2018 iPhone launches expected this fall, according to industry reports, but despite the impending commencement of manufacturing the components, Apple and Samsung Display are apparently still negotiating the prices for the panels.
Though the technologies are some ways out, upcoming iPhones could make use of touchless gestures and curved screens as distinguishing features, a report claimed on Wednesday.
Apple could launch an iPhone with a foldable display in the next few years, according to a Bank of America analyst, predicting the first iPhone or similar Apple-produced device featuring the long-rumored — and already patented by Apple — display technology could launch as soon as the year 2020.
Sharp will be making changes to its display panel production lines, according to a report, moving to increase the manufacture of IGZO and OLED-based panels, possibly in an attempt to acquire more display orders from Apple for the iPad and other connected devices.
Apple's follow-up to the iPhone X will cost less to produce than the current model, a report claims, with the next-generation smartphone thought to have a manufacturing bill of materials more than 10 percent lower, despite expectations that it will have upgraded specifications.
Apple is expected order for up to 270 million smartphone display panels throughout 2018, according to a supply chain report, with the volume of anticipated orders far exceeding Apple's best annual iPhone sales total by almost 40 million units.
A questionable report from South Korean sources suggests that Apple is preparing a new display without a notch — for phones 18 months down the road.
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Roger Fingas
Mike Wuerthele
Malcolm Owen
Max Yuryev
Victor Marks
Daniel Eran Dilger
