is lg making the lcd panel for the lcd iphone factory

The iPhone SE (2020) owes its affordable appeal in part to being the latest Apple device to launch with a "Liquid Retina" IPS-LCD display. There is a good chance that those buying existing units of this device get one with a panel made by LG. However, thanks to a rather abrupt decision by this OEM"s Display division, there are now no more coming.

According to TheElec, the Korean electronics and components manufacturer has reportedly cancelled its agreement to supply Apple with LCD panels for mobile devices. This, apparently, leaves the OEM in the lurch when it comes to making new SE (2020) units, and has forced it to turn to alternative vendors Sharp and JDI instead.

The iPhone 11 is also LCD and remains to be discontinued; however, the new report does not cover what happens to that flagship variant from now on. However, it does mention that LG"s decision is not so much connected to its rumored exit from the smartphone market as it is to the lack of profit in making non-OLEDmobile screens these days.

Then again, LG LCD panels will still exist, albeit as in-car screens only from now on. They will be of the 20-inch or bigger LTPS TFT variety only, as it seems smaller ones are (again) not making money for its Display arm any more. Similarly, it is reportedly getting out of the amorphous-silicon (aSi) LCD business due to competition from other companies such as BOE and AU Optronics.

LG Display has ceased making LCD iPhone screens, and abandoned hopes of doing so in the future, according to a supply-chain report. Separately, the company has stated that it may cease making its own smartphones.

LG once rivaled Samsung as a key supplier of iPhone screens, and Apple benefited from having two companies able to meet both technical and volume requirements. Two suppliers provided redundancy in Apple’s supply-chain, as well as giving the company negotiating strength when it came to allocating orders to the two companies.

Things changed when Apple began transitioning to OLED with the iPhone X. LG was late to recognize the industry trend from LCD to OLED, and was ill-prepared for Apple’s switch. That left Samsung as the sole supplier for Apple’s flagship phones for some time.

LG did finally manage to catch up and win Apple OLED orders, but suffered technical problems even after doing so – and Samsung still retains a technical lead.

LG Display has halted production of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels for iPhones, TheElec has learned […] LG Display halted iPhone LCD production at its AP3 line at Gumi in the third quarter. The line also stopped making panels for other phones as well in the fourth quarter.

For LG Display, the LCD line for iPhones has been low in profitability. Apple also used organic light emitting diode (OLED) panels instead for its iPhone 12 series. Sales of iPhones with OLED is also expected to exceed that of those with LCD panels this year.

Apple’s LCD model, iPhone SE, which launched last year, will use LCD panels by JDI and Sharp instead. LG Display had previously attempted to supply LCD for the 2019-model iPhone SE but failed.

The factory which made the LCD screens is reportedly being repurposed to make display panels for cars. LG is the current market leader in automobile displays of nine inches or larger.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

According to a new industry report, long-time Apple supplier LG will no longer supply LCDs for the iPhone SE, though it still supplies OLED for the iPhone 12 lineup.

LG is a major manufacturer of display technology and supplies a small portion of OLED for use in the iPhone 12. According to a new report on Wednesday morning, the company will no longer make LCD for the iPhone SE going forward and instead focus those factories on in-vehicle displays.

According to The Elec the LCD line for iPhones has not been profitable. As a result, LG reportedly shut down iPhone LCD screen production in the third quarter of 2020. LG then stopped producing LCDs for all smartphones by the end of the fourth quarter.

Apple moved its entire iPhone lineup to OLED in fall 2020 making the iPhone SE the only new iPhone released with LCD that year. Apple uses multiple suppliers for all of its displays, most notably Samsung manufactures most of Apple"s OLED displays with LG making the rest.

Apple has tried using a third manufacturer, BOE, in the past. BOE keeps running into production quality issues with the OLED, according to reports from the supply chain.

Wednesday"s report says Apple will rely upon Sharp and JDI for LCD panels from now on. LG will repurpose its LCD plants to build low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) thin-film transistors (TFT), which is commonly used for vehicle display touch screens.

Apple is expected to release the next iPhone in 2021 with low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) displays for ProMotion. It is unknown if LG will manufacture those displays or if Samsung and BOE will be sole suppliers for the "iPhone 13" displays.

This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.

This is a month faster than for the iPhone 12 last year. Apple launched iPhone 12 later than usual due to problems with procuring components for the phones from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Samsung Display began production for the OLED panels to be used in iPhone 13 mid-month. LG Display began production recently, people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Samsung began organic material deposition a week earlier than LG. For the module process, where the panel is finished, Samsung’s started around ten days earlier than LG.

Cupertino failed to fully capitalize on iPhone 12’s popularity early on and had faced difficulty in securing initial stock to meet the higher-than-expected demand.

Samsung is the sole supplier of low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) thin-film transistor (TFT) OLED panels, which supports 120Hz refresh rate. Apple is planning to use LTOP TFT OLED for the two top tier models. LG Display will be supplying low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) TFT OLED panel for the two lower tier models.

Including the iPhone 12 series and other legacy models, Samsung is expecting to supply up to 120 million to 130 million units of OLED panels to Apple this year. LG is hoping for up to 50 million units.

Market research firm Omdia expects Samsung Display to manufacture 110 million units if OLED panels for iPhone this year, while LG Display is expected to make 50 million units. BOE is expected to make 9 million units, according to Omdia.

Samsung Display is making the panels at its A3 line at its Asan plant. LG Display is doing so at E6 line at its Paju plant. LG considered turning some parts of its E5 line at its Gumi plant for OLED panel production, but Apple didn’t approve of the move.

The company supplied only 6.1-inch OLED panels for iPhone 12 last year, but it will also be manufacturing 5.4-inch panels for the new iPhone. This means it can utilize more of its Gen 6 (1500mm x 1850mm) substrate to make more panels per substrate.

Earlier today, it was reportedthat LG was contemplating an exit from the smartphone industry, thanks to the dwindling shipment figures over the years and a long spell of losses. Now, another report coming out of South Korea suggests that the company has also pulled the plugs on making smartphone LCD panels, a large chunk of which was once destined for iPhones before Apple finally went all-in on OLED panels. Interestingly, LG reportedly stopped the production of LCD panels at one of its key assembly lines back in the third quarter of 2020.

“LG Display has halted production of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels for iPhones, TheElec has learned. The factory that previously made the panels will be converted to making automobile display panels. LG Display halted iPhone LCD production at its AP3 line at Gumi in the third quarter. The line also stopped making panels for other phones as well in the fourth quarter,” says a report by TheElec.

The primary reason for LG shutting down the production of LCD panels is low profitability. And with a cash-rich client like Apple switching over to OLED panels, the company apparently had a bleak financial outlook regarding LCD production moving ahead. With LG Display leaving the field, JDI and Sharp will reportedly fill the void in Apple’s supply chain. LG will now focus its effort on producing larger panels for automobiles instead of smartphones.

The Korea Herald reported earlier today that LG CEO Kwon Bong has sent an internal memo hinting at a “major change” in how the company’s smartphone business operates. On the other hand, a spokesperson noted that the company is exploring all options on the table, which range from downsizing the phone business to even selling it. Lately, has gone the outsourcing path for making its low-end smartphones, while its in-house team is currently focusing on high-end phones as well as innovative devices under the Explorer Project initiative which has resulted in the LG Wing and will soon come up with a rollable phone as well.

LG and Samsung were once rivals when it came to manufacturing screens for iPhones. Competition between the suppliers was neck-to-neck, but things changed when Apple moved to OLED displays with iPhone X. LG was late to realize the transition, and up until then, Samsung was the sole supplier of OLED screens for iPhone. iPhone 12’s OLED display is provided by both LG and Samsung.

Now, a new report from TheElec states that LG Displays has abandoned any plans of making LCD screens for iPhone. TheElec says that the company stopped the production in the third quarter of last year only, and now has abandoned all plans of manufacturing it in the future.

LG Display has halted production of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels for iPhones, TheElec has learned […] LG Display halted iPhone LCD production at its AP3 line at Gumi in the third quarter. The line also stopped making panels for other phones as well in the fourth quarter.

The report states that making LCD screens for Apple has proven to be “low in profitability” for the company. And, with Apple shifting to OLED from LCD with this year’s iPhone 12 lineup, LCD business is only expected to go down.

The last iPhone that used an LCD display was the 2020’s iPhone SE, and even those screens were supplied by JDI and Sharp. LG tried to supply LCD for the iPhone SE but failed in acquiring the order.

The report, moreover, states that the factory will now be used to supply display panels for cars. With the upcoming Apple Car, and the whole electric car ecosystem growing, LG might land an order for Apple’s Car. LG is the market leader in automobile displays of nine inches or larger.

With LG wrapping up its LCD business, it may seem like Apple short of LCD suppliers. But that isn’t the case, Japan Display and Sharp are expected to supply LCD for iPhones manufactured this year.

Shortly after reporting about LG’s plans to get out of the smartphone business, another update related to the Korean giant’s business is that it will stop producing iPhone LCD panels. 2021 is the year when Apple will likely rely on three suppliers for OLED screens, with LG being one of them, so that is where the company may focus its efforts.

The Elec mentions that LG’s current LCD panel production facility will be converted into an automobile display manufacturing center. In addition to halting iPhone LCD production, LG will no longer produce the same panels for other companies. With Apple said to ship around 180 million OLED iPhones in 2021, this figure potentially means the tech giant plans to overtake OLED iPhone numbers this year. This could be another reason why LG would have been forced to halt production.

Originally, LG was expected to provide Apple with 2020 iPhone SE LCD screens, but the quality wasn’t up to the mark. Instead, Apple tapped Japan Display and Sharp as the primary suppliers. LG is currently tasked with supplying OLED screens for the iPhone 12 lineup, and it looks like the company will fulfill shipments for the iPhone 13 family.

A previous report talked about Apple releasing the 2021 iPhone SE in April. With LG no longer producing LCD screens, it’s likely the Cupertino tech behemoth will rely on other suppliers to fill the gap. Even right now, Apple continues to sell the iPhone 11 and iPhone XR on its website, indicating that while OLED iPhone shipments will reach a new number this year, it’s not done with LCD-based models right now.

LG halted iPhone LCD production at its AP3 line at Gumi in the third quarter. The line also stopped making panels for other phones as well in the fourth quarter.

For LG, the LCD line for iPhones has been low in profitability. Apple also used organic light emitting diode (OLED) panels instead for its iPhone 12 series.

Apple’s LCD model, iPhone SE, which launched last year, will use LCD panels by JDI and Sharp instead. LG had previously attempted to supply LCD for the 2019-model iPhone SE but failed.

AP3, which will now focus on producing automobile display panels, will produce those with low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) thin-film transistors (TFT).

This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.

Apple has reportedly picked LG Display as its second maker of flexible OLED displays, according to Korean tech news site ETNews. Rumors of Apple using LG as a possible alternative OLED screen supplier sprung up in June, and today’s news cites unidentified sources that claim LG’s OLED panels had passed Apple’s quality tests recently.

Until now, Samsung has been Apple’s sole OLED screen supplier since the iPhone X was introduced in 2017. Samsung, which agreed to provide around 100 million OLED displays in the initial deal, had enjoyed a monopoly, which allowed the company to control pricing. If LG enters the picture as a second supplier, it could minimize Apple’s reliance on Samsung.

If the deal moves forward, the LG Display OLED screens will most likely be used for the iPhone XS and XS Max, the only iPhones that use OLED screens. They won’t be used for the cheaper iPhone XR, which was also announced on Wednesday, because it uses an LCD screen. LG uses OLED screens for its own V30 smartphone — which was called “an ugly disappointment” by my colleague Vlad Savov — and it currently supplies OLED screens for the Google Pixel 2 XL, which has also faced a host of display issues.

Although it was reported in April that LG couldn’t meet Apple’s demands for OLED displays, the new quality tests seem to have quelled any doubts Apple had about the partnership. The ETNews source also reports that LG is now gearing up for mass production at its new OLED manufacturing plant, so LG displays may be closer than we think.

Apple decided to equip this year"s lineup of iPhones entirely with OLED panels. LG Display, which has endured six consecutive quarterly operating losses, is expected to fulfill much of this extra demand. The company will supply 20 million OLED panels this year, or five times the volume from the previous year, a source said.

The iPhone 14 will be the first since 2017 to deliver two distinct designs in September. Rumors say the iPhone 14 Pro versions will receive a dual-hole cutout to replace the notch, while the cheaper iPhone 14 models will stick with the same OLED displays as the current iPhone 13 models.

That’s not the only change that Apple is making to its iPhone displays this year, with a report from China indicating that local screen maker BOE has finally inked a supply deal for the iPhone.

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro will feature OLED displays similar to their predecessors. We’re looking at OLED screens for all four models, coming in two sizes. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro will have 6.1-inch OLED screens. The Max versions of these phones will feature 6.7-inch displays. But only the Pro and Pro Max models will support a 120Hz refresh rate (or ProMotion).

It took Apple a long while to get to a place where every new iPhone comes with OLED panels on board. The iPhone SE is the only exception, but every iPhone 14 display will be of the OLED variety.

The iPhone X brought the first OLED panel to the iPhone, which played a significant role in the notch design the handset introduced. That was back in 2017 when Apple launched two different iPhone designs part of the same generation.

The iPhone 8 models featured the same design as the iPhone 7, although they rocked glass sandwich designs. But they featured LCD screens instead of OLED. Apple recycled the design for the iPhone SE 2 and iPhone SE 3.

The introduction of OLED panels allowed Apple to go for an all-screen design with minimal bezels. That’s because the OLED panel under the glass layer is flexible, so Apple folded the screen’s bottom inward. More importantly, the switch to OLED allowed Apple to improve the overall screen quality of the handset.

The iPhone maker needed three more years to bring OLED tech to all iPhone models. It happened with the iPhone 12 series last year, which brought a major chassis redesign. But all four iPhones got OLED screens. Then, the iPhone 13 series introduced Apple’s first ProMotion screen for the iPhone. These were LTPO OLED panels that support dynamic refresh rates of up to 120Hz.

One of the reasons why Apple couldn’t upgrade all iPhones to OLED tech concerns supply. The panels are costly, and only Samsung could supply them. Rivals LG and BOE have been looking to win OLED panel orders from Apple for years. But they also needed time to match Samsung’s quality and meet Apple’s expectations.

A few days ago, a report claimed that Apple will use LTPO panels from Samsung and LG for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Samsung will manufacture all iPhone 14 Pro Promotion screens. But it’ll share the Pro Max supply with LG. At the time, we told you this was a big win for Apple.

The more parts suppliers Apple has, the faster it can bring 120Hz refresh rate support to the cheaper iPhones. More supply would also help Apple ink better supply deals. Keeping manufacturing costs down could also prevent Apple from raising iPhone prices down the road.

With that in mind, the addition of BOE to the iPhone 14 display supply chain is also a big development. It means BOE’s OLED panels are finally meeting Apple’s quality expectations. A report from China indicates that the Chinese screen supplier inked a deal worth 50 million yuan ($7.63 million). BOE will reportedly provide up to 25% of the 6.1-inch OLED panels serving the iPhone 14.

BOE has supplied OLED panels for Apple for screen replacements in the past. But this is the first time it reportedly won a supply contract for a brand new iPhone.

It’s likely that Samsung and LG will supply the bulk of iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max OLED panel orders. However, the addition of BOE to the iPhone supply chain indicates that more screen makers are ready to meet Apple’s demands. These display wars should help Apple improve the iPhone screen experience in the future and upgrade iPads and Macs displays. Rumors do say that Apple wants to bring OLED screens to these devices in the future.

Display had previously attempted to supply LCD for the 2019-model iPhone SE but failed. LG’s AP3 line will now focus on producing automobile display panels, using LTPS and IPS. LTPS TFT is more advantageous in making larger panels compared to amorphous silicon (a-Si) TFT, which was used mostly for 7 to 8-inch navigation products. LG Display LAO produces a-Si LCD panels at its P5 factory. Currently, its automobile OLED panels are made at E5 factory. According to Omdia, in 9”+ automotive displays, LG Display had a market share of 24.9%, followed by JDI’s 14.6% and BOE’s 13.9%. Tianma was fourth with 9.8%, followed by AUO with 8.9%.

While Samsung will continue to supply approximately 80 per cent of iPhone displays, rumours claim that a little-known company called BOE looks set to become Apple’s second-largest OLED supplier. Not only is this a sign that Apple’s lowest-cost iPhone 12 model will likely make the leap from LCD to OLED this year, but it’s also a sign that Apple is looking to diversify which manufacturers it uses, and potentially looking to ready itself for a move into the display market itself.

You, like many of us when we first read the rumours, are probably wondering who the hell BOE is, and how it managed to score such a big deal despite its relatively unknown status. However, BOE is, in fact, the largest display manufacturer in China, supplying screens for smartphones, TVs and other electronic devices and home appliances.

The company, which was founded in Bejing in 1993 and acquired SK Hynix"s STN-LCD and OLED businesses back in 2001, is ranked second in the world when it comes to flexible OLED shipments, holding a market share of 11 per cent during the first quarter of this year. It, naturally, is still a long way behind market leader Samsung, which owned 81 per cent market share of the OLED market in the same quarter. Still, with a sizable chunk of the OLED market already under its belt, it perhaps won’t come as too much of a surprise – now, at least – that the firm already has some big-name allies.

BOE’s display technology is currently being utilised in Huawei"s most popular smartphone models, including the high-end P and Mate series, and it reportedly will manufacturer the palm-stretching screen set to appear on this year’s Huawei Mate 40.

BOE even provided the flexible OLED used in the foldable Huawei Mate X, which has proven way more reliable than Samsung’s flexible OLED efforts. Perhaps, then, it’s somewhat unsurprising that Samsung is reportedly considering using BOE screens for its future devices, likely at the expense of its own industry-dominating Samsung Display unit.

BOE’s surprising alliance with Apple isn’t the only time the two companies have worked together, either; the Chinese manufacturer already makes LCD screens for Apple"s older iPhones, and its tiny OLED panels are currently used in some Apple Watch models. It’s unclear how much BOE and Apple’s latest deal is worth, but it’s likely in the billions. According to online reports, Samsung’s deal with the iPhone maker is thought to be worth around $20 billion annually, so if BOE manages to secure 20 per cent of Apple’s display orders going forward, such a deal could be worth as much as $4bn.

Although BOE has managed to muscle its way into Apple’s exclusive list of OLED suppliers, and has invested heavily in facilities and equipment in order to meet the firm’s demands, the new partnership hasn’t got off to a flying start. According to reports, the company’s flexible OLED panels have not yet passed Apple’s final validation. This means, according to rumours, that BOE’s screens might not show up in the first batch of iPhone 12 models, and will instead start shipping on handsets at the beginning of 2021, with Apple instead set to re-increase its reliance on LG in the short term.

Scenarios like this, along with the fact that Apple is clearly looking to lessen its reliance on big-name display makers, makes us think that it won’t be long until the company ultimately stops relying on others altogether; after all, it’s no secret that Apple wants to control every aspect of its hardware development.

The display market could be Apple’s next target. Not only does the company already manufacturer screen technology in the form of its Pro Display XDR, but a recent Bloomberg report claims that Apple is “designing and producing its own device displays” and is making a “significant investment” in MicroLED panels. This technology utilises newer light-emitting compounds that make them brighter, thinner and less power-intense than the current OLED displays.

Apple’s efforts in MicroLED are reportedly in the “advanced stages”; the company has applied for more than 30 patents, and recent rumours suggest the firm is also considering investing over $330 million in a secretive MicroLED factory with the goal of bringing the technology to its future devices.

Apple has reportedly sealed the deal with BOE for manufacturing screens for its upcoming line-up of flagship smartphones in the iPhone 14 series. It has been reported that the deal has been signed at a whopping USD 7.75 million. According to the contract, BOE will be manufacturing 25 per cent of the OLED displays for the iPhone 14 series.

BOE will only produce 6.1-inch panels under the contract. This means that the vanilla models in the iPhone 14 line-up will use displays by BOE, while the iPhone 14 Max and Pro Max models will likely stick to screens manufactured by LG and Samsung. This is the first time that the Chinese brand, known for its expertise in manufacturing displays, will be making displays for iPhones.

The company has been making waves in the tech market ever since it started making OLED panels in 2021. BOE has reported a 60 per cent hike in its production in 2021. Owing to its rapid growth, the brand has consolidated its position as the top display manufacturer in China.

Even as Apple fans are awaiting any official development on the upcoming iPhone models, several reports have hinted at the tech giant’s progress with the M3 Apple Silicon Chip. According to noted tech journalist Mark Gurman, the Cupertino-based tech giant is already working on an iMac with the latest M3 chip along with around nine other new mac models.

Gurman in his latest newsletter said that Apple is working on iMac with M3 chip, however, he has not disclosed any specific details. Besides, he has also indicated that the M3 version for the desktop is also in the works. Other than iMac, the tech expert says that Apple could also be working on an iMac Pro with M3 chip.

Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal chosen as Business Leader of the Year, ICICI Bank as Company of the Year and health minister Mansukh Mandaviya as Business Reformer of the Year

The Indian capital markets regulator has sought details of all ratings of local loans and securities of Adani group companies from credit rating firms.

India’s economic growth likely slumped to a median 5.0% in the third quarter, its lowest this fiscal year, according to an ET poll of 11 economists. Forecasts ranged from 4.3% to 5.2%. An adverse base effect and mixed economic performance dragged growth down from 6.3% in the second quarter, according to them.