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China's BOE capable of producing up to 100 million iPhone OLED panels per year: Report

Published: 27 Jun. 2025, 17:36

iPhones are on display at Apple Store's Myeong-dong branch in Jung District, central Seoul, on Sept. 20, 2024. [NEWS1]

BOE, China’s largest display maker, is stepping up its push into Apple’s iPhone organic light-emitting diode (OLED) supply chain, investing heavily to challenge Korean rivals with a bold expansion of its production capacity.

The supplier has established annual production capacity for iPhone OLED panels of 100 million units — more than twice the company’s expected shipment volume of 45 million units for this year, according to market tracker UBI Research on Thursday.

If BOE succeeds in securing orders for Apple’s iPhone 17 series, expected to launch later this year, its shipments could increase significantly.

Apple is now the dominant buyer in the mobile OLED market. Since discontinuing the LCD-equipped iPhone SE3 earlier this year, the company has switched all of its smartphones to OLED displays.

Market tracker Omdia reports that in the first quarter of 2025, Samsung Display supplied 28.2 million iPhone OLED panels, followed by LG Display with 17 million and BOE with 10.7 million.

BOE currently supplies OLED panels mainly for Apple’s entry-level iPhone 16e. But the Chinese firm is aiming to expand its presence across Apple’s broader product line.

High-end models like the iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max use low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) OLED panels, which offer higher power efficiency. At present, only Samsung Display and LG Display supply these panels due to their technical complexity.

A view of Apple iPhones displayed at an Apple Store at Grand Central Terminal in New York on Oct. 16, 2024. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

If BOE manages to develop the technology and pass Apple’s LTPO OLED quality tests, it could quickly grow its market share by leveraging its large-scale production lines.

“If BOE’s push continues, Korean firms may lose bargaining power on prices,” said Kim Jun-ho, an analyst at UBI Research. “Maintaining their technological edge and deepening cooperation with Apple will be key for Korean display makers.”

Korean display companies are betting on next-generation innovations to stay ahead of BOE. These include “on-cell film” (OCF), a polarizer-free OLED panel expected to be used in Apple’s first foldable iPhone next year, and LTPO3, an advanced version of the technology that could debut in iPhones starting in 2027.

“Around the time BOE enters the LTPO market, Korean companies will likely already be mass-producing the next generation of technology,” an industry insider said.

“To maintain this lead, companies need to keep investing in research and development, supported by strong national policy for the display sector.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE GA-RAM [[email protected]]