Samsung Display, the Samsung Electronics subsidiary that manufactures the company’s variety of screen technologies, has reportedly inked a new deal with Apple to supply the iPhone maker with 60 million additional OLED panels ahead of the launch of the iPhone 8, according to a report from The Investor.
The deal, which Samsung declined to confirm, is said to be worth approximately $5.7 billion CAD. Apple and Samsung Display signed a similar agreement partway through last year, with the former then agreeing to supply the Cupertino-based company with 100 million OLED display units.
Given that Apple has sold approximately 200 million iPhones each year for the past several years, it seems very likely that the company will make a more concerted effort to shift its iPhone lineup toward OLED panels than previously believed. Just last week it was rumoured Apple planned to release three iPhone variants later this year, with only the flagship model set to feature an OLED panel.
As an additional consequence of this deal, it’s expected smartphone-sized OLED panels will be in short supply throughout 2017.
Until competitors in China and Japan outfit their production lines to meet demand, Samsung Display will be one of the few companies currently capable of manufacturing OLED panels at the scale required by high-end smartphone manufacturers like Samsung and Apple.
[source]The Investor[/source][via]Android Authority[/via]
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