Samsung: you can’t live with ’em, you can’t make iPhones without ’em, a new report reveals.
Apple has reportedly brokered a deal with its long-time South Korean “frenemy” to provide OLED panels for a future iPhone, scheduled to ship in 2017.
According to the alleged terms of the deal, Samsung Display will supply in the region of 100 million 5.5-inch OLED panels annually, with the value being estimated at $2.59 billion. Samsung bosses have refused to confirm the deal for privacy reasons.
Samsung, a leader in OLED display research and AMOLED production, was previously reported as being “on the fast track” to building a dedicated facility for supplying displays to Apple. Samsung Display took up 23 percent of global display shipments in 2015 for screens smaller than 9 inches.
In doing so, it is trailed by Japan Display (with 16 percent) and LG Display (with 14 percent.) Both of these companies will also provide OLED displays to Apple in smaller quantities.
While not mentioned in the Korea Herald‘s report, another rival to Samsung is also likely to be Sharp, which was recently acquired by Apple manufacturer Foxconn. The main impetus Foxconn acquired the money-losing Sharp is reportedly so that it can compete in the OLED display market.
Foxconn CEO Terry Gou has previously tried to get Apple to lessen its dependency on Samsung, specifically by telling other Taiwanese manufacturers they need to work together to counter the Samsung threat.
Still, anyone who has seen one of Samsung’s new Galaxy S7 handsets will appreciate that — no matter what the company’s other faults — they sure can build a nice display!
Are you excited about an OLED iPhone after all these years? Leave your comments below.
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
5 responses to “Apple reaches deal with Samsung to buy OLED iPhone displays”
Now that apple has jumped on the OLED bandwagon, will apple fans finally admit that apple currently uses inferior displays?
You mean using OLED when it’s actually ready for prime time, instead of pushing it out just to be FIRST? lmao…..
OLED has always been in the prime time. What you smoking?
It has always been superior to LCD.
Go and use OLED screen in sunlight. Also, use bright screen for a long time and see how your battery lasts… there are pros and cons for both even today. We have to see what Apple brings here…after all everyone has patents on OLEDs…its simply about economics and who can make mass production…
have fun with the screen burn