Apple has sent a request for materials related to the development of OLED+CF OLED to Samsung and LG Display. It appears that this is a measure to increase shipments of the Vision Pro, an MR device that Apple first released this year, and to secure a stable supply of OLED, a key component. 

The Elec reports that industry sources have confirmed that Apple has recently sent a Request for Information (RFI) to Samsung Display and LG Display regarding the development of OLEDoS (OLED on Silicon). An RFI is a document exchanged before the Request for Quotation (RFQ) that a set manufacturer sends to a component manufacturer after the product specifications have been determined. At the RFI stage, information related to technology required for product development is inquired.  

The OLED mentioned in the RFI is a product that applies a color filter (CF) to a white (W)-organic light-emitting diode (OLED). WOLED+CF OLED expresses color as white light from WOLED passes through red (R), green (G), and blue (B) color filters. Vision Pro, which was first released in the US earlier this year, also used WOLED+CF OLED. 

Additional product specifications include a screen size of 2.0 to 2.1 inches and a pixel density of 1700 PPI (Pixels Per Inch). It is different from the existing Vision Pro's Oledos specifications, such as screen size of 1.42 inches and pixel density of 3391PPI. Since the Oledos pixel density mentioned in the RFI is low, it is presumed to be aimed at entry-level models – though the supply chain is wondering if Apple is simply trying to lower the price of the existing Vision Pro headset displays.  

The later thinking is due to Sony has no plans to increase Oledos production capacity for Vision Pro, making it impossible to lower the price of Vision Pro. It is known that Sony's Oledos production capacity is maximum at 900,000 units per year.

China's SeeYa has emerged as a candidate to supply Oledos to Apple, but its technology is still unstable. Siya also faces geopolitical risk factors due to the US-China trade dispute. It is believed that this is why Apple sent RFIs to two domestic panel companies. 

LG Display has been leading the development of WOLED+CF OLEDs, but it doesn't yet have a production line. It is difficult for LG Display to build a WOLED+CF OLED line right away. 

Samsung Display plans to supply Apple with RGB-type OLEDs that deposit RGB subpixels adjacent to each other on the same layer. Apple Vision Pro with RGB OLEDs is expected to be released as early as 2027~2028.