Samsung Might Use BOE OLED Panels in Galaxy S Phones

Samsung may be considering a major change in its smartphone display supply chain. Reports suggest that BOE could potentially supply OLED screens for the Korean firm’s Galaxy S series smartphones. This speculation comes after a recent meeting between the two companies.

BOE could supply OLED panels for Samsung’s top-tier Galaxy phones

According to a report from DealSite, BOE Chairman Chen Yanshun recently visited Samsung to discuss the display business. During the visit, he met with Roh Tae-moon, head of the DX Division and president of the MX Business Unit, and Yong Seok-woo, president of the VD Business Unit. The discussions were reportedly about the supply of both large LCD panels for TVs and small OLED panels for mobile devices (both high-end and low-end models).

Previously, BOE supplied OLED panels for some of Samsung’s budget Galaxy smartphones. However, the company hit a supply snag last year due to a patent dispute with Samsung Display (now resolved). Since then, BOE has mainly focused on supplying Chinese smartphone brands such as Huawei, Oppo, and Vivo. Speaking of global customers, it supplies panels to Apple for certain iPhone models, though recent quality issues have temporarily slowed shipments.

Industry insiders say a deal between Samsung and BOE for smartphone OLED panels is possible. The reason is that the former wants to reduce increasing smartphone costs, while BOE needs more global customers.

“Since President Roh places such high importance on price competitiveness and profitability, and there have been instances where he has borrowed core components from low-cost products, it is highly likely that discussions took place regarding the supply of OLEDs for mobile devices,” said an industry insider.

During the meeting, BOE is also believed to have asked Samsung to increase the number of LCD panels it supplies for TVs. Earlier, the company supplied around 10 million panels, but after a patent lawsuit with Samsung Display, the number dropped to about 1 million. More details about the potential ongoing negotiations should surface in the coming weeks.