China-Based BOE to Supply OLED Panels for iPhone 13 Models

[MacRumors]

Apple has added display manufacturer BOE to its list of main suppliers of OLED panels for iPhone 13 models, according to a new report today from Nikkei Asia.

The Beijing-based display maker began shipping a small number of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays for the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 in late September and is scheduled to increase those shipments soon, pending a final verification process, multiple people familiar with the matter said.

The final qualification will focus on the durability of the screens and will wrap up as early as this month, according to sources who spoke to Nikkei.

"It is in the process of final testing, but based on the results of earlier samples, BOE should have no problem passing the tests," an executive-level source with direct knowledge of the matter told Nikkei Asia. "The foundation of the collaboration between Apple and BOE is based on their previous project on the iPhone 12, and both Apple and BOE want this to happen soon."

Multiple iPhone 12 rumors suggested that BOE would supply some panels for the devices, but BOE ran into major production problems. In 2020, BOE failed to deliver its first shipment of OLED panels to Apple as displays created by BOE failed validation tests.

Initially, China's largest display maker will provide screens only for the more affordable 6.1-inch iPhone 13 model. BOE will initially split orders for the iPhone 13 displays with Samsung. BOE's share is expected to account for up to 20% of the total, but ideally the Chinese company wants to make up to 40% of orders for this model. BOE previously only supplied OLEDs for repaired and refurbished iPhones. It also makes LCD screens for Apple's iPads.

The development adds to pressure on LG Display and particularly Samsung, which has dominated the supply of OLEDs for iPhones since 2017. As the report notes, adding a third manufacturer will give Apple greater bargaining power in talks with the South Korean suppliers.

The OLED displays for the iPhone 13 will be made at BOE's Mian Yang complex in Sichuan Province, where it makes OLED screens for Chinese smartphone makers Huawei, Honor, Xiaomi, and Vivo. BOE has been prioritized by the local government for power supply amid unexpected shortages.

Article Link: China-Based BOE to Supply OLED Panels for iPhone 13 Models

 

[Freeangel1]

never heard of this company. scary.

BOE?

hope it does not turn out like all the low quality screens for the M1 Laptops?

 

[ian87w]

Panel-gate?

Apple's iPhone 13 Series Screen Power, Battery Life Report - Long Lasting Devices

www.anandtech.com

The new OLED panels/components are also a factor for the improved battery life of the iPhone 13. Hopefully this doesn't change. If not, we can expect worse battery life on some iPhone 13 models?

 

[Realityck]

never heard of this company. scary.

BOE?

hope it does not turn out like all the low quality screens for the M1 Laptops?st

BOE technology was founded in 1993. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOE_Technology

BOE in 2019 will surpass LG Display to become the world's largest FPD supplier, according to IHS Markit.

BOE Fails Apple's OLED Panel Validation for Second Time This Year

Chinese display maker BOE has reportedly failed yet again to secure a supply order from Apple for OLED panels for iPhones. According to TheElec,...

www.macrumors.com

 

[Berti10]

Have been to the local tech store yesterday to check out the Sierra Blue, but noticed that the Phone on display had a significant brighter screen than my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

 

[dralsadi0010]

Have been to the local tech store yesterday to check out the Sierra Blue, but noticed that the Phone on display had a significant brighter screen than my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

apple display comes from lg and samsung so if you found your display different looking you are not wrong my display brighter and little bit yellow than there models it sucks but no problem with your display but everyone and his luck

 

[seanmills1020]

BOE is Apple’s new boo.

 

[djgamble]

BOE technology was founded in 1993. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOE_Technology

BOE Fails Apple's OLED Panel Validation for Second Time This Year

Chinese display maker BOE has reportedly failed yet again to secure a supply order from Apple for OLED panels for iPhones. According to TheElec,...

www.macrumors.com

Yes and...

> BOE is also reportedly in talks with Apple to become an OLED supplier for the 2020 iPhone.[21] However, it has since failed Apple's OLED panel validation twice.[22]

Apparently this rumour has done the rounds before and there were quality issues.

 

[davidako]

Not a fan of multiple suppliers for the same product line.

Also this company failing validation so not being used before for new iPhones but being used for refurbished phones is shady and exposes the “like new” claim as a lie (maybe one of the reasons Apple settled that court case).

 

[LFC2020]

If these crap Samsung red tint and piss yellow panels weren’t enough, now they’re using some company called BOE. 🤦‍♂️

Get rid of OLED already. 😡 it’s a flawed technology.

 

[ian87w]

Not a fan of multiple suppliers for the same product line.

Also this company failing validation so not being used before for new iPhones but being used for refurbished phones is shady and exposes the “like new” claim as a lie (maybe one of the reasons Apple settled that court case).

Well, let's hope the juicy tender from Apple encouraged them to improve their quality. The problem remains in consistency and quality control.

I just don't want to see consumers having glaring display issues and Apple telling them "it's normal. You're looking at it wrong."

 

[GuruZac]

If these crap Samsung red tint and piss yellow panels weren’t enough, now they’re using some company called BOE. 🤦‍♂️

Get rid of OLED already. 😡 it’s a flawed technology.

How is it flawed? Both my 11 Pro and 13 Pro displays have been great. I feel bad for those who suffer from PWM but that is an extremely small percent of users. There is not better technology that is widely available in the numbers Apple needs. miniLED isn’t better-I would argue in some ways it’s worse with the obvious blooming, and microLED is not ready yet. What else can they use?

 

[Populus]

Does anyone know if the iPhone 13 mini has this sort of panel lottery? I guess the mini screens are manufactured between Samsung and LG

 

[Malus120]

In 2020, BOE failed to deliver its first shipment of OLED panels to Apple as displays created by BOE failed validation tests.
BOE previously only supplied OLEDs for repaired and refurbished iPhones. It also makes LCD screens for Apple's iPads.

Not a fan of multiple suppliers for the same product line.

Also this company failing validation so not being used before for new iPhones but being used for refurbished phones is shady and exposes the “like new” claim as a lie (maybe one of the reasons Apple settled that court case).

While it may not feel great from a user standpoint when one supplier provides noticeably better/more consistent quality components, having multiple suppliers is a just a necessity of doing business on this scale.

However the bit about BOE providing OLEDs for repaired/refurbished iPhone's is a pretty significant revelation that was just kind of glossed over in the article. Apple says refurbished devices are "like new" and I've never had reason to doubt them, nor feel that wasn't good enough... until today. The fact that they would use a panel supplier for repairs and refurbishment that wasn't up to QC snuff in time to be a supplier for new iPhones is... disquieting... to say the least even if BOE theoretically did resolve their QC issues after the iPhone launch or managed to ship a small number of panels that were high enough quality. I wonder how long this has been going on and what other product lines see similar things happening with repairs/refurbishment...

 

[Vazor]

never heard of this company. scary.

BOE?

hope it does not turn out like all the low quality screens for the M1 Laptops?

Sold my M1 MBP because Apple deemed the lightbleed normal because I could only see it in the dark

 

[washburn]

never heard of this company. scary.

BOE?

hope it does not turn out like all the low quality screens for the M1 Laptops?

BOE has been trying for a while to become an Apple supplier and failed lots of times, looks like they finally got it right but I still wouldn't trust it

low quality M1 screens? where did you hear this? what's wrong with them?

 

[ian87w]

While it may not feel great from a user standpoint when one supplier provides noticeably better/more consistent quality components, having multiple suppliers is a just a necessity of doing business on this scale.

However the revelation about BOE providing repaired OLED for iPhone's is a pretty significant piece of info that was just kind of glossed over in the article. Apple says refurbished devices are "like new" and I've never had reason to doubt them, nor feel that wasn't good enough... until today. The fact that they would use a panel supplier for repairs that wasn't up to QC snuff in time to be a supplier for new iPhones is... disquieting... to say the least even if BOE theoretically did resolve their QC issues after the iPhone launch but too late to be a major supplier(or managed to ship a small number of panels that were high enough quality). I wonder how long this has been going on and what other product lines see similar things happening with repairs/refurbishment...

It does make sense now that Apple decided to settle on that lawsuit. Usually Apple would just go to trial if they were in the right.

 

[Menel]

Not a fan of multiple suppliers for the same product line.

Also this company failing validation so not being used before for new iPhones but being used for refurbished phones is shady and exposes the “like new” claim as a lie (maybe one of the reasons Apple settled that court case).

HAHA oh how disappointed you would be at almost all supplychains.
It's Apple's job to make sure their alternate components still fall in line with customer expectations.

 

[svish]

Hope the quality remains the same.

 

[ksec]

BOE, again. Sigh

It still makes much more sense for BOE panels to used only in the China Region.

 

[thadoggfather]

Bunch of Excrement , weeee

 

[Val-kyrie]

never heard of this company. scary.

BOE?

hope it does not turn out like all the low quality screens for the M1 Laptops?

BOE is a large supplier of low cost, low quality displays. Their displays are noticeably lower quality when comparing them to other manufacturers. You can verify this in online reviews, but I have seen them in person when I used to do hardware repair. I would never pay a premium for any device with a BOE screen.

 

[Flight Plan]

Sold my M1 MBP because Apple deemed the lightbleed normal because I could only see it in the dark

That's YOUR fault. You should have claimed that you could see it day or night, during sunny weather or when the skies of November turn gloomy. You should have claimed that it turns your children into demons, gives your wife migraine headaches, and makes ships crash against the rocks.

And if you were a real pro at getting things fixed or refunded, you surely could have found a way to blame the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald on it without breaking a sweat or cracking a smile. Apple would have refunded the money AND let you keep the machine too!

Come on, step up your game! If she were still alive, my 95 year old grandma could have taken you to school! 😏

 

[szw-mapple fan]

never heard of this company. scary.

BOE?

hope it does not turn out like all the low quality screens for the M1 Laptops?

I don’t know why it’s scary. They are the world’s largest suppliers of displays. There are plenty of very large companies making parts for things you rely on daily that you probably never heard about.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

BOE is a large supplier of low cost, low quality displays. Their displays are noticeably lower quality when comparing them to other manufacturers. You can verify this in online reviews, but I have seen them in person when I used to do hardware repair. I would never pay a premium for any device with a BOE screen.

You are saying because you’ve seen their cheaper displays that is worse than others’ more expensive displays you know that their more expensive displays must also be worse in quality?