LG will play a major part in future iPhone production

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iPhone 7
LG could provide 30 percent of OLED displays for the iPhone by 2020.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Samsung may be providing 100 percent of the OLED displays for Apple’s iPhone 8, but according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, LG Display will be playing an increasingly big role in iPhone OLED display manufacturing in the years to come.

Specifically, he thinks that LG will to supply 10-20 percent of the iPhone’s OLED supply by 2019, and 20-30 percent by 2020.

Kuo also suggests that LG is set to improve its ability to provide advance lamination for touch-sensitive OLED displays by teaming up with thin-film lamination specialists General Interface Solution. This partnership will additionally help with the integration of other (unnamed) technologies within the screen in the future.

Apple’s OLED investment

Kuo’s report isn’t the first time we’ve heard about LG playing a bigger role in OLED manufacturing, which is likely to roll out to all of Apple’s new iPhone models from next year. (By comparison, in 2017 the OLED display is only likely to be available for the iPhone 8, while the more marginal iPhone 7s and 7s Plus upgrades will stick with Apple’s existing displays.)

Last week, a report stated that Apple will spend approximately $2.7 billion for exclusivity over LG Display’s new OLED production facility, according to a new report. The South Korean company is in the process of setting up a new production facility that will cost around $3.5 billion, with Apple’s investment ensuring that it is the plant’s only customer.

It’s believed the plant will eventually churn out around 30,000 OLED displays specifically for the iPhone every month when it reaches full capacity.

Part of that report suggested that LG may become Apple’s primary supplier of OLED displays, although Kuo suggests it will still remain the minority supplier.

Via: Apple Insider

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