Samsung Expected to Produce 40 Million+ OLED Displays for Vastly Redesigned 2017 iPhone

While most of us are laser focused on what Apple’s iPhone 7 will be bringing to the table when it launches later on this year, the Cupertino-company, for its part, appears to be setting its sights on prospects way, way beyond the imminent horizon.

Sure, most of us know by now that the forthcoming ‘iPhone 7’ won’t be featuring quite the extent of innovation that we were hoping for; however, in a likely move to keep its cash cow at the top of the pack, Apple is widely expected to be unveiling a vastly overhauled, aesthetically reimagined ‘iPhone 7s’ or ‘iPhone 8’ — or whatever they end up calling it, NEXT year, as a way of celebrating the iPhone’s 10th anniversary of dominating the smartphone scene.

We obviously don’t know much about that device yet, of course — aside from rumors that it’s almost certainly on the horizon. However, one of the device’s foremost revisions has been rumored to be an all-new OLED display — which, of course, would replace the aging, generations-old LED-backlit Retina display that’s ornamented Apple’s pride-and-joy for the last few years.

To that end, a new rumor coming to us this morning appears to suggest that Samsung — ironically one of Apple’s largest rivals, AND largest component suppliers — is expected to play a major role in Apple’s 2017 iPhone overhaul. As one of the world’s leading suppliers of OLED display panels, the South Korean tech-giant is believed to ship upwards of 40 million OLED displays to Apple ahead of the 2017 iPhone manufacturing season, according to DigiTimes.

What’s more, DigiTimes reports that, not only will Samsung be shipping upwards of 40 million OLED display units to Apple by early 2017, but the Galaxy S-maker will also be doubling that order to as much as 80 million units the following year — before TRIPLING the amount to as much as 120 million by early 2019.

The DigiTimes report falls in line quite nicely with previous rumors that suggested Samsung would soon be ramping up production of high-quality OLED or AMOLED display panels ahead of the forthcoming iPhone revision — although, as some of us were likely hoping, unfortunately, those displays won’t be seeing their way onto the iPhone 7 that’s due to be unveiled later on this fall.

As DigiTimes notes, the only Apple product to currently feature an OLED display of any kind is the Apple Watch. However, it’s widely expected that the Cupertino-company’s desire to implement OLED technology will only increase as we progress into the future. As you may or may not know, a forthcoming revision to Apple’s MacBook Pro, for instance, is expected to boast an all-new OLED ‘Touch Bar’ in place of the top row of function keys.

In any case, Samsung — as the world’s largest supplier of OLED displays — is expected to “carry the torch” so to speak, by supplying Apple with the latter majority of OLED displays. However, as the DigiTimes report notes, Sharp is hoping to eventually dip into that deep reservoir that is Apple’s supply chain — as the company is rumored to be ramping up its own productive capacity for OLED displays by the end of 2017.

OLED technology — which is short for Organic Light Emitting Diode — is an increasingly popular form of display tech by which a device’s display film is composed entirely of organic compounds that emit light in response to electric currents. In the real world, OLED displays tend to feature deeper blacks, and richer color-saturation — providing easier viewing in a plethora of different lighting conditions, in relation to their LCD counterparts.

What do you think about a future iPhone boasting an OLED display?

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]