LG Display plans to take on Samsung in the battle to be Apple’s number one supplier of OLED display panels.
According to a new report, LG will invest $13.5 billion into the production of OLED screens over the next few three years in order to make a stronger play in the smartphone display market.
The investment in OLED factories will increase LG Display’s annual spending by 25 percent. While LG has been the top maker of LCD panels for years, the company plans to focus on thinner more flexible OLED displays that are becoming in higher demand. Samsung currently commands 90 percent of the OLED market.
Apple and OLED
Apple’s next iPhone is expected to pack an OLED display sourced by Samsung. Early estimates have suggested Apple will use up 14 percent of all OLED panels in 2017, straining the global supply.
Most of LG Display’s monstrous investment will go toward boosting its ability to create OLED auto displays and smartphone screens. The rest will go toward larger TV-size OLED displays.
In order to switch over to using only OLED displays on devices by 2019, Apple is supposedly planning to make an investment in LG’s display capabilities. Another recent rumor has claimed Apple wants to make its own OLED panels and has researching its own manufacturing methods.
