It's being reported this morning that BOE is expected to supply Apple with a single OLED panel for the iPhone 15 series this year. only one type of OLED in the Apple iPhone 15 series this year. BOE's iPhone OLED yield has been lower than that of Korean panel makers, and Samsung Display's patent infringement warning acted as a pressure factor.

Samsung Display is expected to deliver all 4 types of OLEDs in the iPhone 15 series this year, and LG Display is expected to focus on producing 2 types of OLEDs in the top lineup.

According to industry sources, China's BOE is likely to supply only one type of organic light emitting diode (OLED) in the lower lineup in the Apple iPhone 15 series to be released in the second half of this year, as they did for the iPhone 14 series. Specifically, BOE is expected to deliver only one type of LTPS method OLED for the 6.1-inch general model, which is a lower lineup in the iPhone 15 series this year.

This year's iPhone 15 series is based on thin-film transistor (TFT) technology, low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) OLED in the lower two lineups (6.1 and 6.7 inches), and low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) in the upper two lineups (6.1 and 6.7 inches). Method OLED is applied. LTPO, which is advantageous for low power consumption, has more processes and higher technical difficulty than LTPS.

Samsung Display is expected to produce all four OLEDs for the iPhone 15 series, and LG Display is expected to focus on the top two LTPO type OLEDs. Contrary to previous industry estimates, BOE will not supply LTPS-type OLEDs for the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus, so Samsung Display is expected to supply all of the OLEDs for the model.

According to The Elec, BOE is expected to find it difficult to significantly increase iPhone OLED shipments this year due to technology and patent issues. BOE needs to raise expectations that it can supply two types of LTPS-type OLEDs for the lower lineup in the iPhone 15 series this year and LTPO-type OLEDs for the upper lineup in the iPhone 16 series next year. 

The industry cites Apple's intention to diversify risk and Samsung Display's patent infringement warning as the main reasons for the recent development in a direction different from the original expectation.

The Elec is referring to Ming-Chi Kuo's prediction that BOE would overtake Samsung for iPhone 15 and 15 Pro displays who claimed that Apple had placed an order with display supplier BOE for the panels of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro in the second half of 2023. By 2024, the supplier could overtake Samsung as the largest display supplier for the iPhone. Ming-Chi Kuo went so far as to predict a 70% share of Apple's iPhone 16 displays. 

This is why Samsung Display has made it clear to Apple that any such move to choose BOE over them would be disrupted by patent infringement cases that could affect supplies of displays for iPhones.