LG Display increasing curved OLED production as rumors of OLED iPhones intensify

iPhone 6 inside view retina hd display

Multiple sources have been adamant over the course of past few months that Apple and its Asian suppliers have been making preparations to produce tens of millions of OLED panels for use in future iPhones.

Tuesday, Taiwan-based DigiTimes said, citing a report by Korea-based ET News, that LG Display, the lone supplier of flexible OLED screens for the Apple Watch, has begun ramping up curved OLED production amid rumors of the Apple OLED switch.

LG’s new target capacity calls for 75,000 OLED substrates per month on its 6G fab in the first quarter of 2017.

“LG Display has solidified plans to achieve 75,000 substrates in monthly production at its 6G facilities throughout the first half of 2017 for curved OLED displays,” says the story.

The new facility will be LG Display’s first 6G curved OLED plant. The company’s existing 4.5G plants have a monthly capacity of 20,000 substrates.

LG Display, along with rivals Samsung Display and AU Optronics, should help supply the bulk of OLED screens for future iPhone models. The adoption of OLED technology in iPhones is not expected this or next year, however.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities claims that the Cupertino firm will continue to use LTPS panels in current iPhones for at least three more years before switching to OLED screens.

OLED tech has more vivid colors and deeper blacks and doesn’t require a backlight to illuminate the pixels so it’s way more power efficient than current iPhone screens.

Source: DigiTimes