Chinese display maker BOE is reportedly struggling to deliver quality OLED panels destined for Apple’s upcoming “iPhone 12.”
Korea’s DDaily reports the failure came down to BOE’s inability to pass OLED quality control tests. The report does not indicate when the tests were performed or whether they will have any impact on the production and launch of Apple’s new handsets. Apple was reportedly “aggressively testing” the flexible OLED screens made by BOE as early as August of last year.
BOE – which is the world’s largest producer of large liquid crystal screens – makes liquid crystal displays for Apple’s iPads and MacBooks, but has been working to get a toehold in the expanding OLED panel market.
Despite Apple’s working with BOE for OLED panels, Samsung Display is still expected to provide up to 80% of the OLED displays used in this year’s “iPhone 12” lineup.
Samsung was the exclusive OLED panel supplier for Apple’s first OLED display iPhone, the iPhone X, released in 2017. LG was added as a second supplier the following year.
Apple reportedly has plans to release four “iPhone 12” models with OLED displays in the fall, including one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model.
