Samsung, the world's biggest small to medium-sized OLED panel manufacturer, will reportedly be the biggest supplier of OLED panels for the iPhone 16 and the upcoming iPad Air (2026). According to reports, Apple chose Samsung Display over LG Display as its primary supplier due to its higher manufacturing capacity.Summarize in one-click with Galaxy AI
Samsung Display to be primary OLED supplier for Apple's iPhone 16
According to a report from ETNews, Samsung Display started the initial production of OLED panels for the iPhone 16 series in June and significantly ramped up production in July. LG Display will also supply OLED panels for the iPhone 16, and it is following the same production timeline as Samsung Display. Apple is expecting to ship 90 million iPhone 16 units this year, but it is estimated that LG Display and Samsung Display will produce 30% more panels (120 million) than Apple's shipment targets.
By the end of this year, Samsung Display is expected to ship around 80 million OLED panels to Apple, while LG Display is expected to ship around 43 million units. Both firms have begun shipping those panels to Apple's iPhone assembly plants around the world.
The iPhone 16 series reportedly has four models: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. While the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus are expected to have the same-sized screens as their predecessors, the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max are rumored to feature slightly bigger screens. The iPhone 16 Pro reportedly has a 6.3-inch screen, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max could have a 6.8-inch screen.
The iPhone 16 lineup is expected to feature a faster processor, a faster 5G modem, improved cameras, a ‘Capture Button' for faster image and video capture in the landscape mode, and Wi-Fi 7.
Samsung to also make OLED panels for iPad Air (2026) and iPad Mini (2027)
Samsung Display and LG Display supply OLED panels for the new iPad Pro that was launched earlier this year. According to ZDNet Korea, both companies will now reportedly supply OLED panels for the upcoming iPad Air (2026) and the iPad Mini. Samsung Display seems to have pipped LG to become Apple's primary OLED supplier for the upcoming iPad Air due to its higher production capacity.
Samsung's A3 line, which manufactures OLED panels for iPhones and iPads, is said to have a production capacity of 135,000 units per month. In comparison, LG Display's E6 1-3 lines can reportedly make only 45,000 OLED panels per month for iPhones and the E6-4 line can make 15,000 OLED panels per month for the iPads.
Apple plans to use OLED panels on all of its iPads in the future. The iPad Pro (11-inch and 13-inch) was the first iPad to use an OLED panel, and it was launched earlier this year. The first iPad Air with an OLED panel is expected to launch in 2026, while the OLED iPad Mini could debut in 2027 with an 8.7-inch screen.
Unlike the iPad Pro, which uses a two-stack (Tandem) LTPO OLED panel, the upcoming iPad Air and iPad Mini models will reportedly use regular LTPS (single-stack) OLED panel, so it might not have as much brightness and lifespan as the Tandem OLED panel. It will also lack a 120Hz refresh rate since it isn't an LTPO panel.
