Samsung will be the only supplier of OLED panels for the new iPhone 8 next year, a new report claims. That’s in line with what other reports have said over the course of the last few months. Samsung Display, to be more precise, is the only OLED screen maker that can meet Apple’s requirements for next year, while its competitors are currently scrambling to increase OLED panel production to levels that might come closer to filling Apple’s panel orders.
According to unnamed sources quoted by Digitimes, Samsung will be the exclusive provider of OLED displays for a 5.8-inch iPhone next year. That’s likely the iPhone 8, and if the size sounds confusing given that some sources expect the phone to have a 5-inch screen, that’s because we may be looking at the total diagonal size of the display, including the curved edges. Even with a 5.8-inch screen, the iPhone 8 might be more compact than the current iPhone 7 Plus model, given that it’s supposed to have curved edges and a bezel-free, buttonless design.
Digitimes notes that Apple will have three iPhones out in the second-half of 2017, including 4.7-inch, 5.5-inch, and 5.8-inch models. The first two will still employ LCD screens just like every other iPhone before them.
Global shipments of OLED iPhones are estimated at 60-70 million units for next year, with Samsung Display ready to supply some 20 million units in maximum a month. Nissha Printing will apparently provide touch sensors for the OLED panels, and the bonding of touch sensors and OLED display panels will be done by Samsung or TPK Holding, as well as General Interface Solutions.
The report also says that supply chain companies will begin production for the new iPhone in small volumes in March, and increase output in May and June. The new iPhones are expected to launch next September.
