Samsung Display Co., a flat panel maker under Samsung Group, will supply its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panels to Apple Inc. starting next year, industry sources said Friday. (Image : Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 15 (Korea Bizwire) – Samsung Display Co., a flat panel maker under Samsung Group, will supply its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panels to Apple Inc. starting next year, industry sources said Friday.
Under the deal, Samsung Display will supply around 100 million units of 5.5-inch panels annually, with the value being estimated at 3 trillion won (US$2.59 billion). Samsung Display, an affiliate of Samsung Electronics Co., declined to confirm the deal, citing its privacy policy.
Industry watchers said Samsung and Apple are expected to maintain the agreement for at least three years.
Samsung has already been a supplier of application processors (AP) for Apple’s iPhones. AP chips, referred to as the “brains” of mobile devices, play a key role in activating operating systems and applications of mobile devices.
The deal is also significant as Samsung and Apple had been engaged in a patent battle for the past five years. Industry watchers said the latest deal may signal the extension of the business partnership between the two.
Samsung Display took up 23 percent of the global shipment of displays in 2015 for the segments smaller than 9 inches, according to the data compiled by industry tracker IHS. Japan Display Inc. followed with 16 percent, trailed by LG Display Inc. with 14 percent.’
(Yonhap)
