Apple has been slowly reducing its reliance on Samsung for its mobile devices. The company switched from Samsung Foundry to TSMC to manufacture all its processors. It also stopped buying OLED panels for Apple Watches from Samsung Display and is currently buying them from LG and BOE. Apple has reduced Samsung's contract share for OLED panels for its flagship smartphones as well.
According to display market analyst Ross Young, Apple purchased more OLED panels from LG Display than Samsung Display for the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Earlier, Samsung had the upper hand in OLED panel supply to Apple, especially for flagship phones like the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. However, the contract share is slowly switching in favor of BOE and LG Display. If this continues, Samsung Display will no longer be the biggest OLED panel supplier for Apple devices.
The company has reportedly offered Samsung Display the contract to manufacture two-stack tandem OLED panels for future iPad Pro models. These new panels will reportedly provide higher brightness and improved longevity than standard OLED tablet panels. The upcoming iPad Pro models—11-inch and 13-inch—will reportedly be launched by the end of this year and will carry higher price tags than current-generation iPad Pros.
Even for the future Apple Watch Ultra models, Apple is reportedly switching to MicroLED screens. While Samsung Display is preparing a MicroLED display lineup with the intention of supplying panels to the next-generation Apple Watch Ultra, there is no credible information on whether the South Korean firm will get the contract for it.
