Apple is tasking Samsung with producing OLED displays for a future iPhone, after allegedly placing an order with the electronics giant. A report claims Samsung will be supplying iPhone-sized display panels, measuring five inches, which are destined for use in Apple's famed mobile device, with the deal said to be worth 3 trillion won ($2.6 billion) and involving the shipment of an estimated 100 million OLED displays to Apple each year.
Local
reports in South Korea follow on from claims Samsung is
gearing up for a high-level of production in the display panels, with an investment of 9 trillion won ($7.47 billion) into its production facilities. Few details about the arrangement have been leaked, but it is thought the contract between Samsung and Apple will run for at least three years.
While this may be true, Apple still has a number of different suppliers it can lean on for display technology, and it is unclear if the deal is exclusive between the two companies or if other display producers will also be used by Apple. Aside from Jaan Display and LG Display, who both supply Apple with OLED displays, there were also recent rumors that
Foxconn was preparing Sharp to develop its first AMOLED displays, which too could be used in a future version of the iPhone.
While Apple is supposedly making the switch to OLED, joining many other smartphone producers, it is worth noting rumors about the change have been around for
quite a while, and won't be confirmed to be true until Apple launches an iPhone using the display technology.
Update: An earlier version of the story stated the deal was worth 10 trillion won, when it was in fact 3 trillion won.
MacNN regrets the error, but notes the dollar value of the deal is still correct.
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