14 DAY TRIAL // Comments made by Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun have spawned speculation that Apple has tapped the Korean electronics manufacturer to put OLED displays inside its next-generation of iPhones.
Kwon hinted at a potential deal with Apple when he mentioned “huge” orders from electronics makers for its lineup of flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, the Korea Times reports.
Kwon specifically said, “We will be mass producing flexible OLED displays from the latter half of this year as the demand from our clients is significant.”
“OLEDs will replace LCDs as the main mobile displays from around 2015 as the screens are thinner and brighter,” he added. “Samsung has massively invested in OLED-related technologies and will continue to do so.”
Another executive from Samsung Display, a division of Samsung Electronics, said “The undeniable advantage is that flexible OLED displays are more durable.”
Industry experts weighed in on the matter, noting that Samsung wouldn’t have such stamina without an order from the California-based Apple Inc.
An analyst from a U.S.-based investment bank reportedly said, “Apple is the iconic company in the industry that will continue to set the trends. If Samsung finds increasing industry demand for a futuristic product like flexible displays, it’s hard to imagine Apple doesn’t have something to do with it.” The sixth-generation iPhone is dubbed “iPhone Yoga” in the Korea Times report.
Although Kwon believes that flexible OLED displays will become ubiquitous, Lux Research, a market research firm, thinks otherwise:
“However, enabling technologies like barrier films are not mature enough and flexible displays will remain a modest $140 million market in 2017. While OLEDs can be made flexible, they suffer from materials and manufacturing challenges and will have only a 15 percent share of the flexible display market,’’ said the research firm.