Apple may use Samsung OLED panels exclusively for the 2020 iPhone Pro models
Samsung may have finally succeeded in talking Apple into using its Y-OCTA OLED panels. Last year there were rumors that the 2019 generation iPhones will make the jump, but that didn’t come to pass. Now, ETNews reports that Samsung will be the exclusive OLED supplier for the 5.4” and 6.7” iPhones.
The Y-OCTA technology uses on-cell touch sensing, so it doesn’t require a separate touch-sensitive layer. This makes the display panel thinner and cheaper to manufacture (having fewer layers can reduce glare to boot).
According to ETNews, Samsung is the only company that can mass produce such panels at the scale Apple needs them. In fact, yield may have been the reason the deal didn’t happen sooner – 2018 iPhones were also rumored to use Y-OCTA, but Cupertino reportedly pulled back because wasn’t happy with the yields.
Anyway, Apple is expected to launch two more phones next year – iPhone SE 2 using a 4.7” LCD and the iPhone 12 non-Pro with a 6.1” OLED.
Unlike the Pro models, Apple will source OLED panels for the iPhone 12 from both Samsung and LG. This means two things – no on-cell touch for the 6.1” phone and BOE is likely out as a potential supplier.
Samsung has been using Y-OCTA panels on its own phones since the Galaxy Note7. The Galaxy S8 also made the switch while the larger S8+ stuck with old-school panels.
