Between 150 million and 180 million iPhones will be sold in 2021, and Samsung will provide most of the OLED screens. As reported by The Elect, Samsung Display is expected to increase its supply of OLED panels for iPhones next year. This figure is based on both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 shipments. Apple's OLED panel for iPhone 13 next year will be a more advanced version than the one used for iPhone 12.
iPhone 13 pro models to use Samsung LTPO Technology for 120 HZ Display
It is reported that two of the four iPhone models launching next year are based on thin-film transistors (TFT) made of low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LPTO).
All iPhone 12 models made use of OLED panels, and Apple is expected to use OLED panels in the iPhone 13 series as well. Apple is expected to ship somewhere around 100 million iPhone 12 models in 2020. Even if LG Display and BOE orders increase, Samsung will continue to be a major supplier of display panels for Apple's iPhones. As part of the Pro lineup, Samsung is allegedly going to be the only supplier of 120Hz panels.
Apple's upcoming iPhone 13 Pro models are expected to use Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide (LPTO) Thin-Film Transistor (TFT) OLED panels. It's important to know that the 120Hz refresh rate can only be achieved with LTPO OLED. The iPad Pro models from Apple since 2017 have been equipped with support for a 120Hz refresh rate as part of their ProMotion Display. Depending on the content, it automatically adjusts the refresh rate. As with almost all high-end Android phones, Apple should introduce 120Hz refresh rates on its iPhones.
In January 2021, the global shipments of #OLEDpanels reached 53 million units, with Samsung Display capturing 85 percent of the market with 45 million units, followed by LG Display with six million units.
In the year 2020, Samsung Display held 78.3 percent of the market for iPhone OLED panels, which will drop to 65.1 percent in the following year if the new estimates from India are accurate. Meanwhile, LG Display's share will increase from 21.8 percent to 29.6 percent, and BOE's share will be 5.3 percent.
In line with the report, 584,5 million OLED panels are expected to be shipped this year, representing a 28 percent increase over 2020. Around them about 335.5 million units will be flexible OLED panels, while 249 million units will be rigid OLED panels.
In a previous report, both LG and Samsung were listed to supply the technology to Apple for the iPhone 13. Apple intends to use LTPO OLED displays for "all its iPhone models" in 2022, according to a report released by LG. LG will, however, focus on increasing its capacity this year in order to start supplying next year. It is said that the technology will reach at least two iPhone models in 2021, while display analyst Ross Young expects the iPhone 13 Pro models to adopt 120Hz-capable ProMotion displays with variable refresh rates, something that has only been available on the iPad Pro so far. A number of rumors ahead of the launch of the iPhone 12 lineup suggested the high-end iPhone 12 Pro models would feature 120Hz ProMotion displays, but later in the rumor cycle, it became clear that the battery life concerns caused this feature to be delayed until 2021. Apple could deliver a much more efficient backplane using LTPO technology, which turns on and off individual pixels on the display. Depending on how Apple uses the technology, it could pave the way for longer battery life or always-on display elements.
