Samsung rumored to be lone supplier of AMOLED panels for 5.8-inch iPhone 8

iPhone 7 display

Barclays Research analysts think Apple might offer iPhone 8 in two screen sizes, one measuring five inches diagonally and the other 5.8 inches. DigiTimes claimed in March that Apple had picked Samsung Display as the main supplier of 5.8-inch AMOLEDs.

In a follow-up report Thursday, DigiTimes reiterated that Samsung Display will be Apple’s exclusive supplier of 5.8-inch AMOLED display panels for iPhone 8.

Citing sources in the Taiwan supply chain, the trade publication said that Samsung Display is able to build up to approximately twenty million AMOLED units per month for Apple. Global shipments of AMOLED-based iPhone 8 models in 2017 could reach an estimated 60 to 70 million units, the sources noted.

Japan-based Nissha Printing will reportedly supply touch sensors for use in AMOLEDs and bonding of touch sensors. Supply chain makers should begin building parts for next-generation iPhones in March 2017 in small volume, increasing output in May-June.

Be that as it may, Apple may potentially source additional AMOLED panels from LG Display, Japan Display and Sharp in 2018, said earlier reports.

Samsung, of course, is the world’s top producer of AMOLEDs with more than 90 percent share of the worldwide AMOLED market for smartphones. However, AMOLED panels are expensive and difficult to produce so they’re only featured on top-of-the-line phones from Samsung and other Android makers.

Aside from LCD-based iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus updates, iPhone 8 is rumored to incorporate a curved-screen, bezel-less design. Combined with a rumored in-screen Touch ID Home button, this could theoretically permit Apple’s engineers to increase screen size without necessarily making the entire device bigger.

Source: DigiTimes