Currently, Apple offers OLED displays on two types of devices—iPhones and Watches—and soon, it could start offering OLED panels on iPads and MacBooks. One of the major suppliers of these OLED panels is Samsung Display, which means that the South Korean tech giant gets a lot of business from Apple.
According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple is developing its own displays to lower its reliance on third-party suppliers. Apple's self-developed displays will be based on Micro LED technology, and the Cupertino-based tech giant will design these displays entirely in-house and devise their manufacturing process.
Apple's Micro LED display is mostly bad news for LG, not Samsung
Reportedly, the move to in-house displays will start with the launch of the next-generation Apple Watch Ultra, which will bring a Micro LED screen. This is primarily bad news for LG Display as it is reportedly the sole supplier of OLED screens for Apple Watches right now. Samsung used to make OLED screens for Apple Watches, but reports claim it doesn't do that anymore. Eventually, Apple plans to extend the self-developed Micro LED display to iPhones and other products from the company, such as iPads, MacBooks, and even iMacs.
Apple will, however, still need to rely on third-party suppliers to get its Micro LED displays. It will design these displays and devise their manufacturing process, but it might not manufacture them. For their mass production, Apple may have to knock on the doors of third-party companies, which could include LG Display and Samsung Display.
So, Samsung Display might get to supply Micro LED panels for Apple, right? Well, that depends on how it handles the situation. That's because Samsung Display manufactures only large-size Micro LED panels at the moment, like the ones found in its TVs. But the company does not manufacture Micro LED displays for smaller devices.
If Samsung Display wants to get an order from Apple to supply Micro LED displays, it has to start manufacturing small-size Micro LED panels very soon. If the company doesn't, it might lose a lot of business from Apple.
