Samsung and LG Display have bagged orders of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels from Apple for its next generation of iPad Pro models, which are widely expected to arrive next year, the media has reported. China's display-making giant BOE is also said to be in the race for a bigger share of Apple's OLED display order for laptops and tablets.
However, BOE has been excluded and Apple has placed orders for the development of 10.9-inch and 12.9-inch panels for the iPad with Samsung Display and LG Display only, says a report by publication Business Korea.
Apple has various suppliers that manufacture its iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices. and the iPhone maker is mulling to load OLED panels into its new iPad Pro models, which are scheduled to come out next year. The iPad is Apple’s flagship product and sells more than 70 million units annually; iPad sales reached $9.4 billion.
Korean display makers are planning to produce OLED panels for the iPad at their current sixth-generation line. LG Display invested 3.3 trillion won in 2021 to secure a sufficient supply capacity. In the first quarter of 2023, it will secure a production capacity of 60,000 sheets per month, which is double the current level, the Business Korea report added.
Meanwhile, China's BOE, which has been excluded from the LED panel orders for iPad Pro by Apple, had secured the initial order for the upcoming iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. BOE, also an Apple display supplier may potentially overtake Samsung as the iPhone's largest display provider by 2024, according to famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
BOE may also become the largest supplier of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus displays this year.
According to Kuo, China's BOE has outpaced Samsung and secured most 2H23 new iPhone 15 and 15 Plus display orders. If development and production proceed smoothly over the next few months, BOE will become the largest display supplier for the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, with a market share of around 70 per cent whereas Samsung has a share of 30 per cent.