BOE May Still Be in the IPhone Display Game

If everything goes well, September 13 will be the date of Apple's fall conference. At that time, the iPhone 14 series and other new 

products will be unveiled. There are still less than 2 months left, however, the production of the iPhone 14 series is experiencing 

some problems.

Apple will start mass production of the iPhone 14 series next month, but production has run into some trouble due to a shortage of 

material supply, according to recent news.

The first problem is the memory. For the iPhone 14 Pro's LPDDR5 memory, there are three suppliers: Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix. 

But only Samsung will be available initially, as Micron and Hynix have encountered late certification and quality issues, respectively, 

and are expected to deliver in the fourth quarter.

The other is the screen panel, especially for the iPhone 14/iPhone 14 Max models, which was mainly supplied by LG Display. But LG had 

some problems and there was a gap in the supply chain, affecting the production schedule.

The good news is that Apple generally has two options: it has more than one supply chain for the same component. For example, 

memory chips are supplied by Samsung, Micron and Hynix. Screen panels are also supplied by Samsung, LG, and the newly added BOE.

Earlier this month, analyst firm RUNTO said BOE's AMOLED panel has officially passed Apple's iPhone 14 certification and is expected to 

ship at least 5 million units within the year. In addition, Chinese AMOLED panel manufacturers China Star Optoelectronics (CSOT) and 

Visionox are also actively sending samples to Apple.

Interestingly, since the year the iPhone 11 series was released, every year there has been news that BOE will be the iPhone panel 

supplier, and even news that "supply has already started" has appeared.

BOE was hoping to supply Apple with 30 million OLED panels for the 6.1-inch iPhone 14, but the company decided to unilaterally 

change the specifications of the panels without notifying Apple. According to reports, BOE changed the width of the thin-film 

transistors used in the panels without approval from Tim Cook or anyone at Apple.

BOE's position in the iPhone 14 supply chain was called into question for weeks after Apple learned that BOE had unilaterally changed 

some design elements of the iPhone 13 panel. These actions could get the company kicked out of Apple's supply chain to the point 

that Apple might not even allow BOE to supply glass for its $19 polishing cloth. 

But in these times of supply chain shortages, Apple has decided to forgive, if not forget. By now, BOE's panels should have been 

certified by Apple , and mass production of the panels (or better yet, if you prefer) will begin by the end of this month. Apple should 

start receiving the shipments in September.

The Chinese display maker was in trouble for a while, but things seem to be changing now that BOE will be supplying Apple with its 

next batch of products.

According to reports, Apple needs 90 million OLED panels to complete the iPhone 14 series shipments. Of these, Samsung received 

60 million orders, LG received the remaining 25 million and the remaining 5 million were left to BOE.

BOE may still be in the iPhone display game, even if to the tune of just 5.5% of all new orders. In addition,for the standard iPhone 14, 

BOE is expected to provide only 6.1-inch LTPS OLED panels.

One would think that the main reason Apple has conceded on this point is to send the message that it doesn't necessarily rely exclusively 

on LG and Samsung for its high-end phone screens. However, if this new report proves to be correct, it could prove to be a valuable move 

for BOE in the long run.

According to a survey of distributors, retailers, and scalpers, the Chinese channel is generally bullish on Apple's upcoming iPhone 14 

series and believes that demand for the iPhone 14 series will exceed that of the iPhone 13 series.

The Pro series features a major upgrade to the screen and camera, as well as an inexpensive, large-screen iPhone 14 Max that takes 

into account both high-end users and regular users.