Late last month Bloomberg reported that Apple has been looking to make LG’s Display division its second OLED screen supplier for the iPhone, after Samsung. At the time, Bloomberg noted that Apple was ordering approximately two to four million OLED screens from LG Display.
Now, a report from Digitimes (citing Korea-based Newspim) states that LG Display will supply Apple with an additional 20 million LCD screens for a 6.1-inch iPhone expected to be the Cupertino computing giant’s most affordable 2018 smartphone model.
Further, LG Display is reportedly “likely” to secure the majority of Apple’s 6.5-inch OLED panel orders in 2019 and ship roughly 10 million units to the company. All three of the 2018 iPhone models will feature OLED displays, according to a recent report from South Korea’s ET News.
As Bloomberg noted in its initial June 28th report, the Apple and LG both stand to benefit greatly from the partnership. For Apple, gaining a second supplier helps reduce its dependence on Samsung, which so far has been its sole OLED supplier. Doing so would also give Apple leverage in price negotiations with Samsung over future OLED orders.
LG, meanwhile, could be able to improve its financial constraints. In the first quarter of 2018, the South Korean tech giant posted a net loss of KRW 98.3 billion ($87.04 million USD), with a projection of even greater losses of KRW 196.8 billion ($173.8 million USD) in the second quarter. In particular, LG is facing sliding prices for its liquid crystal displays, which would be improved by large LCD display orders from Apple.
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