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Apple may finally dent Samsung's OLED display supply monopoly with iPhone 15

By Daniel Petrov

Published: May 30, 2023, 7:54 AM

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Apple may finally dent Samsung's OLED display supply monopoly with iPhone 15

LG may have overcome the hurdles before delivering its higher grade displays to Apple in time for the iPhone 15 line launch in the fall. Last year, it was supposed to provide the large and frugal in terms of power consumption panel of the low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) type for none other than the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

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While Apple entrusted LG with the most complex display for its most premium phone because of successful pilot production, LG hit some yield snags in the end quarter of the year and couldn't deliver more than 10 million such panels which resulted in some iPhone 14 Pro Max shipping delays.

Apple was then forced to overcome the production mishaps and hand the orders over to Samsung which overcharged it with higher prices for the extra equipment and capacity it had to deploy in a hurry.

This year, however, LG has apparently learned its lesson and expanded its own LTPO OLED display capacity sufficiently enough to warrant Apple entrusting it with the screens for both the 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, reports The Elec.

It may even outrun Samsung in its share of the iPhone 15 Pro line production this year, which, given that the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max represent 60% of the 2022 iPhone family sales so far, would bring a significant chunk of change to LG Display's coffers.

Long story short, if Apple's iPhone 15 series display orders to LG go according to plan, i.e. better than last year, Samsung's monopoly over Apple's OLED supply chain may finally crack.

Samsung, on the other hand, will be providing the displays for all four iPhone 15 models, including the less advanced LTPS screens with 60Hz refresh rate of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Max, so it will still keep the majority stake in Apple's OLED screen supply chain this year.

Apple's backup LTPS display supplier BOE, however, disappointed in its production quality efforts, so Apple froze its participation for the benefit of Samsung again. For the iPhone 15, Apple may take BOE out of the components supply freezer, so Samsung's share may be attacked both from the low-end and from the premium iPhone display sides, shrinking its role as an Apple OLED screen supplier altogether.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.