Currently, Samsung corners the OLED display market but that might change in the future as other manufacturers are gearing up to cut into the supply chain. Although smartphone sales have leveled out in the recent years and the situation is unlikely to change anytime soon, most smartphone vendors are expected to adopt OLED in place of LCD this year even on their mid-rangers, so it makes sense for the display manufacturers to make this transition. One such manufacturer is the Foxconn-owned company Sharp, which is eyeing none other than Apple as a potential customer, since partnering with the iPhone manufacturer as a supplier can certainly turn your fortunes around.
After LG, Sharp Wants Some of Apple’s OLED Orders Too
If reports are to go by, iPhone XR’s successor could be the last iPhone to sport an LCD screen as the company is expected to go all out on OLEDs next year. Currently, Apple gets it OLED from LG and Samsung. However, as an Apple executive revealed a few days back, the company always considers multiple suppliers for its components and apparently, Sharp wants to enter the fold as the company has rolled out its OLED line for smartphones, according to DigiTimes. The company reportedly wants to supply OLED panels for future iPhones.
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It might not be an easy feat as Apple is known to have exacting standards set for its displays. It took LG several attempts to make the cut so Sharp would have to be at the top of its games to be considered by Apple. On the other hand, Apple is grappling with problems of its own, notably the weaker than expected demand for its latest iPhones. Given the situation, market watchers might conclude that it might not be a good idea to be a part of Apple’s supply chain at the moment.
This is worth mentioning because Samsung was faced with a glut of OLED after Apple decided to slash iPhone X production because of reportedly lower demand. Other supply chain manufacturers, including AU Optronics (AUO) and BOE are also reportedly tooling up to increase their production of OLED panels. Given their high flexibility, OLED panels would also be used by manufacturers planning to launch folding smartphones this year so this could prove to be a good time for manufacturers to increase their presence in the OLED segment.
Source: DigiTimes
