14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung is currently the sole supplier of OLED panels for the iPhone X, but as part of its efforts to reduce reliance on the South Korean firm, Apple has been said to be eyeing a partnership with LG Display for the manufacturing of organic light-emitting diode screens.
Rumor had it that Apple invested in an LG Display facility that would be exclusively dedicated to OLED display manufacturing for the iPhone, while recent speculation indicated that the firm is already setting up equipment to start production.
But LG Display says these reports are not accurate, explaining that a deal with Apple hasn’t been reached just yet. The company suggested that some talks with Apple have indeed existed, but no specifics were agreed on, so negotiations are set to continue.
“Regarding the OLED supply deal for Apple’s iPhone X, nothing has been set in detail. When anything is confirmed in detail, we will announce it, or (otherwise an announcement will be made) in a month,” LG Display has been quoted as saying in its regulatory filing by The Investor.
LG set to start iPhone OLED production in the summer
According to the most recent speculation on the collaboration between Apple and LG, a deal between the two already exists and the latter is in the process of preparing the Paju E6 assembly line for production of OLED displays that would be used on the iPhone.
The target, these rumors claimed, was to kick off production in June next year, with initial output set for 60 million units.
Samsung, on the other hand, signed a deal with Apple to supply 67 million OLED displays for the iPhone X, and now Cupertino is looking for a second supplier to dual-source the parts.
If the partnership goes through, however, LG would only build OLED displays for the 2018 lineup of iPhones, which is rumored to include two different OLED models. It remains to be seen if Apple aims to work with LG exclusively, but judging from the estimated output, signing deals with both Samsung and LG could help the company prevent supply issues.