Samsung, the world's biggest small and medium-sized OLED panel maker, supplies millions of OLED panels to Apple each year. Its OLED panels are used in iPhones and the newer iPad Pros. The South Korean firm is now reportedly working on Tandem Micro OLED panels that could be used in a future version of the Apple Vision Pro headset.
Samsung working on Tandem Micro OLED panels that could be used in future Apple Vision Pro headsets
According to a report from SisaJournal, Samsung Display (Samsung Electronics' display manufacturing arm) and LG Display are both developing Micro OLED panels with a tandem structure. A tandem structure for OLED panels involves two OLED layers stacked on top of each other, which improves the overall brightness and increases the lifespan of the panel. Such Tandem OLED panels are already used in the iPad Pro 2024.
LG Display and Samsung Display are trying to bring the same technology to Micro OLED panels, which are generally used in augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), virtual reality (VR), and extended reality (XR) headsets. Samsung has already acquired eMagin, a firm that specializes in micro displays AR/VR/XR headsets.
Micro OLED panels have extremely small individual pixels, which makes them harder to manufacture. They also use a silicon substrate instead of glass for improved resolution. LG Display reportedly has an advantage in this technology, as it has already released Tandem OLED panels for tablets and laptops. However, Samsung is also investing heavily in such panels.
It isn't clear when LG Display and Samsung Display will commercialize Tandem Micro OLED panels. The current-generation Apple Vision Pro uses Micro OLED panels from Sony, but Apple could use Micro OLED panels from LG and Samsung in the future. Samsung is working on its own XR headset to compete with the Apple Vision Pro, and it could be unveiled later this year.
