Last year, Apple trusted LG Display to deliver complex, low-power-consuming OLED panels with LTPO (Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) for its premium iPhone model, the iPhone 14 Pro Max. However, because of some yield issues in the last quarter of the year, LG wasn't able to fulfill the delivery and could only supply 10 million such panels, resulting in iPhone 14 Pro Max shipping delays.
With no option left, Apple turned its head towards Samsung to overcome the panel production mishap, which left a big hole in Apple's pocket. Samsung Display overcharged the panels at a higher price for the extra equipment and capacity requirements it had to deploy because of such an emergency situation.
Samsung may still enjoy a majority stake in the Apple display chain
Well, this time around, according to The Elec, LG might have learned its lesson, and it has already expanded its LTPO OLED display capacity to be able to sufficiently provide Apple with panels for both the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. If this happens, then it could really put a dent in Samsung Display's share of the iPhone 15 Pro line panel production this year since the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max account for 60% of the 2022 iPhone family sales so far.
To clear things out, if Apple's iPhone 15 series display orders are grabbed by LG Display, as per the plan they have set out, it may hit Samsung Display's supply chain monopoly over Apple's OLED panels. Samsung, on the other hand, will be supplying display panels for all four iPhone 15 models, including the less advanced LTPS 60Hz screens for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.
Overall, Samsung will still be the dominant player in the Apple display supply chain this year, but its overall hold over premium models will be reduced.
