Samsung Might Supply OLED Panels for Apple’s Future iMac

Samsung is seeing a new opportunity in its OLED business. Apple’s future iMac will reportedly use OLED panels, opening the door for the Korean firm to ink a supply deal. However, the project is still in its early stages, suggesting the display maker is unlikely to receive panel production orders anytime soon.

Apple plans to feature an OLED panel in its 24-inch iMac

According to a report from TheElec, Apple has recently sent Requests for Information (RFIs) to Samsung Display and LG Display for the development of an OLED iMac. For the uninitiated, an RFI is a document a device maker uses to request technical information from component suppliers before discussing prices. Apple is considering a 24-inch OLED display with a brightness of around 600 nits and a pixel density of 218 pixels per inch (PPI).

Samsung Display could respond with its quantum dot OLED (QD-OLED) technology that does not use fine metal masks (FMMs). This panel uses a blue OLED light source and a quantum-dot color-conversion layer to produce red and green colors. The company has already begun mass production of an improved five-stack QD-OLED structure. This structure features an extra green light-emitting layer to boost brightness. Moreover, it uses a top-emitting structure that emits light away from the thin-film transistor (TFT) layer.

Apple usually prioritizes RGB OLED technology, where each pixel emits red, green, and blue light directly. Right now, RGB OLEDs (made with FMM) feature in small screens, such as 6-7-inch smartphones and 10-inch to mid-sized tablets. However, producing large RGB OLED panels in sizes between 20 and 30 inches remains a challenge. As a result, Apple might rely on alternative large-size OLED technologies initially in its iMac while continuing to explore RGB OLED for the long term.

However, Apple might not be able to complete development of the iMac OLED panel until 2027 or 2028. Meanwhile, Samsung Display is gearing up to expand its OLED production for IT devices. The company could start mass production at its 8th-generation OLED line next year for the upcoming 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook OLEDs.