Samsung will make the most advanced displays for iPhone 18 Pro

Samsung is the world’s leading OLED display panel maker and has supplied OLED panels to Apple for years. The company is now reportedly preparing to manufacture the most advanced OLED panels yet for Apple’s future iPhones, including the iPhone 18 Pro series and the iPhone Fold.

According to a report from ETNews, Samsung Display will supply Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Silicon Oxide Plus (LTPO+) OLED panels for Apple’s upcoming high-end phones: iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Fold. These panels use oxide technology in the driver unit, which improves power efficiency. They also support placing an infrared camera beneath the panel.

With LTPO+ OLED panels, future iPhones are expected to become more power efficient while still featuring a 1-120Hz variable refresh rate. Samsung Display is also the only brand that will supply foldable OLED panel, featuring a crease-less build, to the iPhone Fold.

Apple’s Face ID system has three components: a flood illuminator, an infrared camera, and a laser dot projector. Currently, all of these sensors are housed within a pill-shaped display cutout known as the Dynamic Island. With LTPO+ panels being used in the iPhone 18 Pro series and the iPhone Fold, Apple is said to move the Face ID sensors under the display instead of keeping them inside a cutout.

Apple has been trying to diversify its display supply chain by working with Chinese OLED panel makers such as BOE. However, LG Display and Samsung Display continue to lead the industry in OLED technology, quality, and mass production capabilities. As a result, BOE has been excluded from supplying panels for Apple's high-end iPhones.

Samsung’s own Galaxy S and Galaxy Z series phones already use LTPO OLED panels. Hopefully, the company will adopt LTPO+ OLED technology in its devices starting next year, allowing Galaxy phones to better compete with iPhones in terms of power efficiency.