Samsung projected to ship 40M OLED panels to Apple ahead of rumored 2017 all-glass iPhone

Posted:
in iPhone
As the world's largest supplier of OLED displays, Samsung is expected to play a key role in Apple's rumored 2017 iPhone redesign, shipping an estimated 40 million panels to the company next year, according to new research.


Edge-to-edge iPhone display concept by Martin Hajek.


New projections from DigiTimes Research call for Samsung to double those shipments, reaching 80 million OLED panels to Apple, the following year. AMOLED orders from Apple are forecast to grow to 120 million units by 2019.

Apple currently has one OLED product in its lineup: the Apple Watch. But the company's appetite for OLED displays is expected to grow next year, with a revamped 5.5-inch iPhone featuring a curved screen and all-glass exterior shell.

The estimates align with earlier reports revealing that Samsung is planning to ramp up OLED production next year --?a move said to be in anticipation of Apple's OLED-equipped iPhone. Samsung Display has revealed it plans to increase output of OLED panels by more than 50 percent this year, with a $6.82 billion investment.

As of now, given the company's stature as the largest OLED maker in the market, Samsung is expected to be the primary supplier of OLED displays to Apple. But Foxconn-owned Sharp is hoping to claim a stake in Apple's supply chain, preparing its own production of OLED panels before the end of 2017.

The estimates from DigiTimes did not indicate a breakdown between Apple Watch and iPhone OLED shipments, but it's likely that the bulk of Samsung's supplies would go toward the iPhone, Apple's best-selling product lineup.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    Oh, so now OLED is superior to LCD, right? Isnt that what the argument is going to be?
  • Reply 2 of 8
    Please bring some of that AMOLED goodness to the new Macbook Pros, PLEASE.
  • Reply 3 of 8
    doozydozendoozydozen Posts: 539member
    What the heck will a curved 2017 iPhone screen look like? I can't fathom how that improves usability and ergonomic... All the UI elements on apps will bend towards or away from the user in a distorted way, depending on if the screen is concave or convex. Where's all the mockups from graphic designers eager to imagine what all this rumors espouse?
  • Reply 4 of 8
    tobiantobian Posts: 151member
    what? whatabout those double backlit LCDs?
  • Reply 5 of 8
    Oh, so now OLED is superior to LCD, right? Isnt that what the argument is going to be?
    I think that's correct...maybe the reason Apple is moving more to a "Dark" iOS motif, similar to Watch OS, i.e., better battery life. I think?

    Best
    fastasleep
  • Reply 6 of 8
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    Welcome to the dark side.
  • Reply 7 of 8
    staticx57staticx57 Posts: 405member
    tobian said:
    what? whatabout those double backlit LCDs?
    It is just a bandaid to the fact that LCD sucks.
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