Samsung to supply millions of OLED panels for iPhone 17e

Samsung Display is the world’s biggest and most innovative OLED panel maker, and it supplies millions of OLED panels for iPhones and iPads. A new report claims that it has secured the largest share of OLED panel supply for Apple’s latest low-cost smartphone, the iPhone 17e.

A report from TheElec claims that Samsung Display supplied 11 million OLED panels for the iPhone 16e last year, accounting for 50% of the overall volume. LG Display supplied 7.5 million OLED panels, while BOE supplied 3.5 million OLED panels for the iPhone 16e. The same structure and a similar order volume will reportedly be followed for the iPhone 17e.

A few years ago, Apple tried to increase BOE’s share of OLED panel supply to reduce its reliance on Samsung Display. However, the Chinese company couldn’t deliver the quality expected by Apple and failed multiple times. Since then, Apple has increased Samsung Display’s share.

Apple uses cheaper OLED panels and updated A-series chips in its entry-level iPhones. The iPhone 17e was announced last week with a 6.1-inch OLED panel featuring a 60Hz refresh rate and 1,200 nits of peak brightness. It also comes equipped with a 3nm A19 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 12MP front-facing camera, and a 48MP rear camera with OIS.

The phone is priced at $599 in the USA for the 256GB version, which makes it $50 pricier than the Galaxy A56 (256GB). However, it offers much faster performance, better primary and front-facing camera quality, Emergency SOS, and wireless charging. The iPhone 17e has a smaller and less fluid display, no ultrawide camera, a smaller battery, and slower charging than the Galaxy A56.