Should smartphones with OLED displays really take off, Apple won't be short on suppliers as another company is reportedly betting big on producing the high-end displays.
Electronics giant LG is reportedly investing a whopping $3.56 billion into one of its factories to produce OLED smartphone screens with hopes of becoming a secondary supplier for Apple, sources familiar with the matter tell ET News.
The investment is said to shift focus from producing OLED panels for TVs to producing ones intended for smartphones, suggesting a rise in demand for OLED displays.
It also could mean Apple intends to become a major customer for the display technology for the foreseeable future.
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OLED-ing the pack
While Apple has yet to confirm the iPhone 8 will use any kind of OLED display, rumor upon rumor has the company ditching flat LCD screens and using a curved OLED display similar to the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.
Speaking of, other reports say Apple is already working with Samsung to produce just under 100 million curved OLED panels for at least one model of the 2018 iPhone, but likely all three.
If true, Samsung will beat out fellow display producer Sharp to being Apple's top OLED supplier — meaning LG has some competition ahead if it plans to work with Apple on future iPhones.
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