An attendee uses an Apple Inc. iPhone, not the iPhone 8, before the start of an event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016. (Photo : Getty Images/ David Paul Morris)
Apple is considering a Chinese supplier for its OLED screen needs to be fitted in their upcoming iPhone models. It has long been speculated that the Cupertino-based tech giant will be moving from LCD to OLED screens for its future devices.
People familiar with the negotiations have told Bloomberg that Apple has been testing the OLED screens of BOE Technology Group from China. There is still no decision and it is not known yet whether the supplier will replace Samsung or just add to them to the list.
BOE Technology Group is already investing around $14.5 billion to build two huge plants that will manufacture OLED screens in China. The plants are for the company to get ready for future orders of larger scales.
Apple's iPhone 8 may not be the first model to have an OLED screen supplied by BOE Technology Group. However, the people familiar with the matter said that the company may supply the next iPhone for 2018 or in the following years, CNET reported.
OLED screens are often considered superior to the traditional LCD screens because of their higher contrast ratio and brighter panels. They are also more power efficient because it only uses battery juice to light up pixels that are not black.
Samsung is known for using attractive AMOLED displays for its devices and their Galaxy S series have benefitted from the said panels. The company's upcoming Galaxy S8 models are also expected to follow the same pattern as before.
Apple's iPhone 8 is also speculated to have a curved edge OLED screen to stay relevant with its competitors. Samsung and Sharp may be two of the company's suppliers.
BOE Technology Group and Apple have not yet released statements as to where they are in their negotiations. Apple's iPhone 8 is expected to be revealed in September.
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