Galaxy S27's Chinese OLED display fate to be decided this month

Samsung's flagship phones feature OLED panels supplied by Samsung Display, but that could be about to change with next year's Galaxy S lineup.

Several reports have claimed that at least the base Galaxy S27 may be shifted to an OLED panel from China's BOE. Samsung's mobile chief TM Roh is headed to China this month to potentially finalize the supply.

Over the past few years, Samsung has gradually increased the share of non-Samsung display panels that it uses for mobile devices. However, it has made that decision primary for low-end and mid-range phones. Flagships have so far been immune.

It's no secret that Samsung is facing mounting cost pressures due to the rising component prices. The company has to cut costs in order to strike a balance between maintaining margins and avoiding big price increases.

A new report out of South Korea claims that TM Roh will visit BOE in China by the end of this month. It's claimed that the supply deal of BOE OLED panels for the Galaxy S27 could be finalized during this visit. If this ends up happening, it would be the first time a flagship Galaxy device features a Chinese OLED panel.

Roh might also discuss the supply of LCD panels by BOE for Samsung TVs. BOE was once the largest LCD supplier for Samsung but the Korean giant stopped purchasing panels from it after BOE filed a patent infringement claim against it.

Since that legal battle has now been resolved, it's expected that LCD supply from BOE may resume, with Samsung buying as many as 5 million LCD panels from BOE in 2026.