While Sony will supply the Higher-End Internal Displays for the Apple Vision Pro, LG will provide the headset's External Display
The Apple Vision Pro is emerging as a new growth driver for the Korean display industry. While Sony landed the order for the highly lucrative high-cost internal displays for the headset, known as OLEDoS, LG Display landed the order for the external display.
The Apple Vision Pro’s most expensive components are its displays, which account for 48.1% of the retail price. The displays are comprised of micro-OLED panels for the inside and regular OLED panels for the outside.
Sony is reportedly supplying the internal micro-OLED panels, which have the highest unit cost of any component in the device. The micro-OLED panels are about US$350 per piece, and each device requires two. The external OLED displays will be supplied by LG Display, roughly costs US$30 per piece.
An industry insider told the Korean publication that "Manufacturers are basically favoring multiple vendors to diversify their supply chains and improve price competitiveness. Sony may have the effect of pre-empting the market, but Korean display makers may turn the tide by developing better products."
Samsung Display is stepping up its efforts to develop new technology with the aim of mass-producing micro-OLED panels in about two years time. The company announced the development of a micro-OLED panel in August 2022 and set up a research organization for micro OLED panel development later in the same year.
In May, Samsung acquired U.S. micro-OLED company e-Magin for US$225 million (290 billion won).
Yet some analysts have said that LG Display could become the largest Apple Vision Pro display supplier starting with Apple's second generation headset. The Korean display giant has been testing micro-OLED panels since 2020 to prepare for the expansion of the XR market.
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