3 Minutes
A new report from Korea suggests Apple has shifted iPhone 17 Pro display orders away from China’s BOE after the panel maker failed to resolve product reliability issues. The problem reportedly centers on LTPO OLED panels that BOE struggled to bring up to Apple’s standards.
Why BOE missed the mark on LTPO displays
BOE had been slated to supply up to 10 million LTPO OLED panels for iPhone 17 Pro models sold in China, part of a broader goal to ship roughly 40 million panels this year across iPhone lines. According to industry sources, persistent quality and reliability problems prevented BOE from meeting Apple’s demanding specifications in time — and the fixes couldn’t be completed before year-end.
Samsung Display picks up the slack
With BOE unable to deliver, Apple reportedly moved that allocation to Samsung Display. The shift increases Samsung’s planned OLED shipments to Apple from about 80 million units to roughly 90 million. For Apple, that reallocation helps protect production timelines and supply consistency as the new devices roll out.
What this means for BOE and the market
Beyond the immediate lost order, BOE faces longer-term consequences. The company recently settled a patent dispute with Samsung over OLED technology and agreed to pay royalties to use Samsung’s intellectual property. Combined with the inability to meet LTPO standards, these developments could slow BOE’s expansion into flagship smartphone supply chains and affect its revenue targets for the year.
For consumers and the broader industry, the episode highlights how exacting standards and complex OLED manufacturing — especially for LTPO panels used in premium phones — continue to shape supplier lineups. Apple’s tolerance for production risk appears limited: if a partner can’t meet required specs on schedule, orders shift quickly. That leaves BOE with technical and legal hurdles to clear if it wants to be a consistent Apple supplier in future cycles.
Questions remain about whether BOE can close the gap on LTPO yields and regain Apple’s trust. For now, Samsung Display looks set to shoulder more of Apple’s OLED demand for the iPhone 17 generation.
Source: gsmarena
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