LG Display

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.

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.

LG Display pouring another $1.75 billion into flexible OLED production line

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 28, 2016

LG Display, one of the Asian companies that provide screens for Apple products, yesterday announced plans to spend an additional 1.99 trillion won, or about $1.75 billion, on its sixth-generation “P9” flexible OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) production line in Paju. More OLED facilities are coming soon in Paju and Gumi, LG said.

LG Display jacking up investment on OLED screens ahead of rumored OLED iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 13, 2016

LG Display will jack up investment on next-generation mobile screens based on Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) technology as its top customer Apple Inc. prepares to adopt these ultra-thin, power-saving screens for iPhones “as early as 2017,” Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

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

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 19, 2016

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.

Apple said to be close to signing OLED deal with Samsung and LG Display for future iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 30, 2015

A report Wednesday by ET News contends that Apple is “close” to signing a definitive supply agreement with both Samsung Display and LG Display concerning OLED screens for future iPhones.

Although iOS devices have used ubiquitous liquid-crystal display (LCD) panels since their inception, organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology features deeper blacks and requires less power because it doesn't need a power-hungry backlight module to illuminate the pixels.

Apple supplier LG Display building $4 billion OLED plant

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 20, 2015

LG Display, which supplies Apple with flexible OLED screens for the Apple Watch and LCD panels for other gadgets, is reportedly building a brand new facility that will significantly increase its OLED panel production as the firm looks to meet expected market demand as of 2017 onwards, according to a report from Korea's Digital Times cited by DigiTimes.

The new plant will cost north of $4 billion to build, with assembly lines expected to start churning out OLED panels for smartphones, tablets and TVs sometime between 2017-2018.

Apple Watch screen maker LG Display dominates 90% of market as Sharp posts huge losses

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

One Apple supplier's misery is another Apple supplier's fortune. Two of Apple's key display suppliers — Sharp and LG Display — are not enjoying quite the same positive effects from working with the Cupertino firm. At one end of the spectrum is LG Display, an exclusive supplier of flexible OLED panels for the Apple Watch.

The company now dominates the smartwatch display market with a ninety percent market share thanks to its lucrative contract with Apple, as per Business Korea.

On the other is Japan-based Sharp, one of Apple's display suppliers that has barely managed to avoid collapse after posting an annual net loss of a whopping $1.9 billion, according to The Financial Times on Thursday.

Apple yet again rumored to switch to power-friendlier IGZO screens for next-gen iPads

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

Boy, is LG Display on a roll today. Not only has the company's website inadvertently pre-announced a supposedly upcoming iMac refresh featuring an 8K resolution Retina screen, but a well-informed LG Display related official ostensibly said Apple is also “creating iPads with a 12-inch display,” based on a very power-efficient oxide LCD screen technology, Taiwanese publication ETNews reported Monday.

Oxide LCD, also known as IGZO, requires a fraction of power compared to LCD IPS screens on current iPads, while rendering more vibrant colors and deeper blacks with quick response times and high color saturation.

Did LG inadvertently leak an iMac with 8K screen?

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 6, 2015

In a somewhat bizarre move, Apple supplier LG Display may have inadvertently leaked Apple's unannounced iMac whopping an 8K Retina screen, writing on its website last week that, I'm quoting, “Apple has also announced that they will release the ‘iMac 8K’ with a super-high resolution display later this year”.

Apple, of course, has not publicly announced plans for a new iMac update. LG Display is Apple's important supplier of desktop and mobile screens and the Cupertino company is known to have cut off suppliers who pre-announced its products. Neither LG nor Apple commented on the matter at post time.

Rumor: Apple Watch has LG-made AMOLED screen

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 17, 2014

Apple has rejected tiny panels made by rival Samsung's display-making arm for its wrist-worn smartwatch and has instead opted in favor of curved AMOLED screens made by LG Display, claims a supply chain report filed Wednesday by DigiTimes, a somewhat accurate Taiwanese trade publication.

Citing unnamed sources at LG Display, the publication reports LG Display will supply AMOLED panels for the Apple Watch. “Apple will reportedly not purchase AMOLED panels from Samsung Display and instead will have LG as the sole panel provider for the Apple Watch”, the sources indicated.

Rumor: LG Display beats out rivals to become top iPhone 6 display supplier

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

If there's any substance to a new supply chain report Tuesday, LG Display beat out rivals like Samsung, Sharp, and Japan Display as Apple had reportedly selected the South Korea-based firm as its top display supplier for the upcoming iPhone 6.

Based on a massive amount of orders, analysts are expecting iPhone 6 shipments in the ballpark of 70 million units during a three-month span.

The huge order should be enough to keep suppliers such as LG Display busy in the months ahead. RBC Capital Markets in a note to clients yesterday cited latest supply chain data, upping its forecast of Apple's orders to as many as 80 million units of both 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 variants.

This compares to the 60 million iPhones ordered during the same period of last year...