LG

Apple could make major upfront investment into LG’s OLED production lines

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 3, 2017

Apple is reportedly in talks with LG Display about investing anywhere between $1.75 billion and $2.62 billion into the South Korean firm's new “E6” plant with a target monthly capacity of about 30,000 units of sixth-generation OLED panels.

According to The Korea Herald newspaper on Monday, the upcoming facility would be “exclusively dedicated to Apple orders” and should come online as early as 2019. A source said that the funding from Apple should help LG Display reduce risks from the lower margin.

The two companies have tentatively agreed on the investment plans, but details on the timing and size of the investment have yet to be finalized. The final decision is expected to be made following LG Display's board meeting later this month.

LG previously discussed an $870 million Google investment into its OLED plant.

An anonymous source said:

Samsung Display is the only display maker that meets Apple’s strict quality criteria for now. LG Display is said to be meeting about 70 percent level of the requirements, while Chinese display makers are still struggling to catch up with that of LG.

LG Display’s OLED supply for iPhone was delayed because the company failed to purchase Canon Tokki’s vacuum machine, the most advanced OLED production equipment whose supply is extremely limited. Recently, LG secured two units of the machine to speed up production.

With the new equipment installations expected in December 2017 and February 2018, LG Display’s production capacity is expected to double to 60,000 OLED panel units per month.

LG’s other new OLED plant, called “E5”, will focus on orders from LG Electronics and Chinese clients. Samsung Display is expected to be the sole supplier of OLED panels for iPhone 8 this year. LG Display currently builds flexible OLED panels for Apple Watch on an exclusive basis.

Samsung Display is reportedly building the world's biggest OLED manufacturing facility dedicated to orders from Apple and Samsung Electronics.

iPhone 8 concept via Benjamin Geskin.

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Apple reportedly pulls LG’s new 5K monitor from sale over hardware issues

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 13, 2017

Here's another proof Apple should have thought twice before exiting the standalone display business—the company was forced to suspend sales of LG's new 5K monitor that launched last fall along with the new MacBook Pro following a flurry of complaints from users, ranging from screen flickering to interference with nearby routers to problems with Thunderbolt, Business Insider reported Monday morning.

Apple Stores have stopped carrying the $974 LG UltraFine 5K Display for now. It continues to be available through Apple.com, with a shipping time of 5-6 weeks and no options for pickup in Apple Stores. Maybe now would be the perfect time to revive the phased-out Apple Thunderbolt Display?

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LG teases big 5.7″ screen, smaller body, waterproof design & more for upcoming G6 flagship

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2017

LG Electronics is teasing an upcoming G6 flagship smartphone in a new 45-second teaser video posted to its YouTube channel yesterday.

Listing some of the things people apparently want in an ideal smartphone, the clip seems to tease a minimum-bezel 5.7-inch waterproof phone (you'll recall that Apple's iPhone 8 is rumored to feature increased IP68-rated water resistance).

Although it does not specifically mention G6, the clip asks you to “imagine how your wishes will come to life” before hinting it’ll all happen in February, when G6 is expected to be formally announced at Mobile World Congress.

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Apple starts accepting orders for LG’s 27″ UltraFine 5K Display, ships in 2-4 weeks

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 20, 2016

LG's UltraFine 5K Display, the external ultra high-resolution display Apple didn't want to make, is now available to order through Apple.com. The display can be ordered with Apple's in-store pickup option (availability of in-store pickup may vary from one store to another). First orders were scheduled to deliver on December 27 or 28, with in-store pickup availability on December 29. However, estimated delivery times quickly slipped to 2-4 weeks.

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LG’s display division to start volume production of foldable displays for 2018 iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 16, 2016

LG's display-making arm is said to be gearing up to kick off volume production of foldable displays for future iPhones, said Korean news outlet ETNews. In addition to Apple, LG Display should supply foldable displays to Google and Microsoft in 2018. LG-developed foldable display prototypes were of sufficient quality for the company to secure global manufacturers as its partners.

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Rumor: Apple working with LG on dual cameras for iPhone with 3D photography features

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 24, 2016

A future iPhone could enhance the iPhone 7 Plus's depth-of-field Portrait photography mode with all-new “3D photographing” features, according to a new report Thursday from The Korea Economic Daily. The outlet is reporting that the Cupertino firm has teamed up with LG Innotek on a next-generation dual-camera module with 3D photography features, likely to be used in select 2017 iPhone models.

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The 5K LG UltraFine is the external display Apple didn’t want to make

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

During its 'hello again' event on Thursday, Apple showed off a new 27-inch 5K LG UltraFine display. SVP Phil Schiller described it as the "ultimate docking station" because it has multiple Thunderbolt 3 ports, and can even charge the new MacBook Pro.

Schiller also noted that Apple teamed up with LG to build the display specifically for the new Pro, so it's unclear what the future is of Apple-branded displays. There have been rumors it's building one, but it may have decided the numbers aren't there.

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iPhone 7 may launch with LG-made dual-lens camera because Sony is behind schedule

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 20, 2016

Remember the rumor, backed by a report from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, that only a 5.5-inch model of an 'iPhone 7' would have a dual-lens camera while its 4.7-inch brethren would get stuck with a boring single-camera module?

Now we know where that came from: Apple's camera supplier Sony has fallen behind schedule, prompting the iPhone maker to add another dual-camera supplier to the mix: LG's Innotek division. That's the current word on the street, according to a Barron's report citing Nomura Securities analysts.

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