Apple signs 2-year OLED panel supply contract with Samsung Display, say reports
Yiling Lin, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Thursday 6 April 2017]
Apple reportedly has signed a two-year contract with Samsung Display for the supply of KRW10 trillion (US$9 billion) worth of small-size curved OLED panels, according to Korea-based ET News, Chosun Biz and other media.
Based on the contract, Samsung Display will ship 70-92 million small-size OLED panels to Apple in 2017, said the reports. This means that about 30% of iPhone devices shipped in 2017 will come with curved OLED panels, given that Apple currently ships about 200 million iPhone devices a year.
Japan-based Nikkei also reported that Apple has ordered 70 million OLED panels from Samsung Display. But to meet increasing demand from Apple, Samsung Display has been exerting efforts to ramp up its capacity to 95 million units.
Meanwhile, Taiwan-based Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting has estimated that shipments of new iPhone devices are likely to reach 100 million units in 2017, of which at least 55 million will feature OLED panels.
Samsung Display reportedly is converting an LCD factory in Asa into an OLED panel plant, and its total investments for OLED production lines could reach KRW10 trillion in 2017, said the reports. |
