It hasn’t been long since Apple launched new iPhones in the fall last year, particularly the iPhone X, which came a bit later than the usual release timeframe for new iPhones. It’s the first Apple smartphone with an OLED display and the panel was supplied by Samsung given that it’s the only company that could manufacture the panels that Apple wanted in the volume that it desired. According to a new report out of Taiwan, Samsung is going to start OLED production for the 2018 iPhones next month.
The report mentions that the panels that Samsung is going to start producing next month include a 5.8 inch display for the second-generation iPhone X and a 6.5 inch iPhone X Plus. The Economic Daily News, a Taiwanese outlet, claims that Samsung is going to start initial production of the panels in May and will double production in June.
Samsung is once again expected to be the exclusive supplier of OLED panels for Apple’s next-generation iPhones. Recent reports have suggested that Apple has been in talks with other suppliers to source OLED panels from them as well to reduce its reliance on Samsung but it may not be able to bring those supplies onboard before the 2018 iPhones are due. Moreover, Samsung still maintains a dominant position in the mobile OLED panel market.
Alongside the new iPhone X models, Apple is also expected to launch a 6.1 inch iPhone this year which will feature the LCD display. The LCD model may also ditch the home button and adopt Face ID if reports are to be believed.