Apple gives iPad OLED order to Samsung and LG, no BOE in sight

Apple is expected to skip the announcement of the new iPad Pro devices this year and bring them in early 2024. The biggest change will be the switch from LCD to OLED, and according to Korean sources, Cupertino will order the panels with Samsung. and LG.

Apple’s deal with display maker BOE is still being negotiated, effectively knocking the Chinese maker out of the game, at least for the initial push.

Apple’s flagship tablet sold over 70 million units in the previous fiscal year. Between October and December 2022, the company achieved $9.4 billion in revenue, a massive 28% year-over-year increase.

Reports suggest that the new iPad Pro tablets will have slightly larger panels, but we don’t yet know if the overall size of the device will change. The smaller variant will drop from 11″ to 11.1″, while the 12.9″ version will be replaced by a 13.1″ screen.

Kang Min-su, an analyst at Omdia, recently spoke to the Korea Chamber of Commerce. They said that Korean manufacturers, such as Samsung and LG, are still clear leaders in the OLED market because of foldable devices. However, they must remember the precedent of the LCD business which saw China getting a large chunk of sales.

When it comes to the OLED display segment, Samsung and LG together held 100% of the market before, while they are now at the top with over 80% market share, with the rest going mainly to China. Korean manufacturers are still “four to six years ahead” of Chinese companies, and the local government is pushing for digital commercialization in 2027 that would further increase demand for OLED, thereby protecting other companies at the expense of their competitors from across the Yellow Sea. .

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