LG is on borrowed time as a display supplier for Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro MaxAccording to Korean media, because the company met Difficulty drilling holes for the new Dynamic Island cutout on Pro models“, the sources of The Elec say.
It also failed to master the thin-layer encapsulation of the latest high-refresh rate LTPO display technology that powers the iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro. That’s why Apple still presents its panels in the validation phaseChanging some components of the mask for more accurate production.
If LG fails again, Samsung will have to take over for at least another monthBecause LG still has to go through two weeks of testing and validation with Apple.
For the iPhone 14 Pro series, Samsung uses its HIAA precision method (Hole-in-Active-Area), according to industry insiders, because it is currently the most advanced OLED hole technology to date. The HIAA method uses laser drilling between the OLED deposition and thin film encapsulation (TFE) manufacturing steps. The process is more difficult with Samsung’s flexible OLED displays, which use a plastic rather than glass substrate, such as the iPhone 14 Pro models, because the perimeter of the hole must be sealed separately from oxygen and heat. To prevent moisture deterioration. LEDs.
That’s why Samsung works with the best equipment for this task, namely Philoptics laser cutting system and Wonik IPS vacuum cameras. Philoptics alone said it will supply about $27 million worth of equipment to Samsung Display’s Vietnam factory, which makes iPhone screens, for about a year.
At the moment, only Samsung can make Dynamic Island screens for the iPhone
The increase in shipments of Philoptics and Wonik IPS devices is not due to a change in Apple’s initial sales forecast for its Pro models, but to the fact that none of its other display suppliers can produce LTPO panels with Dynamic Island cutouts, as Samsung currently does. .
The display of the iPhone 14 Pro Max is the “brightest” among smartphones, as it uses Samsung’s latest generation M12 OLED display technology, which appeared on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and allows you to get brighter panels with less power consumption.
It’s unclear whether LG’s RS-L LTPO OLED production technology, which it will use for the iPhone 14 Pro Max, can reach the heights of brightness it is, or if LG had to upgrade it to match. Samsung’s knowledge, but since Samsung would be responsible for producing almost 20 million additional screens for the iPhone 14 series, the Pro models could get Samsung screens for all sales of the first series.