Apple is known to work with many suppliers on a single component. The idea is that should anything go wrong with one supplier, the others can pick up the slack. It is a pretty common strategy that other companies also use. Sharp is one of Apple’s suppliers when it comes to display panels, and it seems that recent rumors have suggested that Sharp could be supplying Apple with OLED displays for the iPhone 8.
The rumors come from DigiTimes who quotes a report from Nikkei in which it was suggested that Sharp is gearing up for a massive $864 million investment in which it will see an OLED production line open up in Zhengzhou City, China. Volume production of the panels are said to begin in 2018, which seems to fuel the rumors that short supply of OLED panels this year could result in Apple only giving the technology to one variant of the iPhone 8.
This is not the first time we have heard rumors of an OLED iPhone, or that Sharp will be involved. Last October it was already reported that Sharp was looking into OLED production, and while they did not mention names, the company hinted that it was for a “key customer” in which we reckon Apple is probably one of few companies that fits that bill.