Apple plans to launch three new iPhones this year, including a cheaper 6.1-inch LCD variant with a notch display. The other two handsets, the iPhone X and iPhone X Plus, will feature a notched OLED panel. For 2019 though, Apple plans to switch to OLED panels completely for its iPhone lineup.
This is not the first time that such rumors have made their way to the internet. Apple is having to make a staggered transition to OLED panels on its iPhone lineup due to the lack of suppliers. Currently, the company solely relies on Samsung for the OLED panels it uses on the iPhone X. For its 2018 iPhone lineup, the company has been trying to set up LG Display as a secondary supplier by investing money into it, but the latter continues to struggle in setting up its production facilities.
“Apple recently started planning the iPhone model in 2019 and decided to adopt OLED in all three types,” said an official from Apple who said, “The OLED used in the iPhone X (TEN) is a low temperature polysilicon (LTPS) LCD Quality, performance, and so on. ”
Another official said, “Apple has decided to put all the OLED on the new iPhone model in 2019.”
The news has already sent the shares of Japan Display, a key LCD supplier to Apple, tumbling by over 20 percent. The company has been unable to transition to manufacturing OLED panels despite receiving heavy capital infusion from the Japanese government. Other LCD panel makers are also struggling with setting up their OLED factories. No wonder then that Samsung dominates the OLED supply chain in the smartphone world with over 95 percent of the market share. The company took advantage of this monopoly to reportedly charge Apple a steep $130 per unit for the OLED panel used in the iPhone X. However, for its 2018 iPhone lineup, Apple has requested Samsung to lower the prices of its OLED panels.
Source: ET News