Apple is struggling to source OLED screens from manufacturers other than Samsung, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal. Apple has been trying to make a deal with LG Display as an alternative supplier of OLED screens for this year’s iPhones, thereby reducing its dependence on Samsung, but according to people familiar with the matter, manufacturing problems have caused LG to fall behind schedule.
One the sources noted that Apple is now trying to decide whether it will be able to rely on LG Display to provide screens for the upcoming iPhone models expected to be released this fall. Currently, Samsung is Apple’s only OLED display provider, which puts Apple’s largest rival in control of pricing on the displays for Apple’s flagship iPhones, potentially driving up the price at which Apple can afford to sell devices such as the iPhone X.
Analysts have reportedly been saying for months that Apple is in “urgent” need of finding another supplier for its OLED displays, however, LG has had mixed success with the quality of its OLED displays for other devices such as the V30 and Google Pixel 2 XL, suggesting that Apple would also need LG to step up its game if it were to become a secondary supplier, which may also be the source of some of the manufacturing delays.
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