Samsung to be exclusive supplier of AMOLED panels for one of three new iPhones coming in 2017
Ready for a new rumor regarding Apple's iPhone lineup for 2017? Well, here we go. According to some unnamed "Taiwan-based supply chain makers", Apple will release not two, but three new iPhone models next year. The usual 4.7" and 5.5" sizes will come with LCD screens just like every single one of their predecessors.
However, a new 5.8-inch model will be outed too, and this one will feature an AMOLED display. Samsung will be the sole supplier of those AMOLED panels for what will certainly be Apple's highest-end (and most expensive) iPhone ever. The Korean company can reportedly supply a maximum of 20 million such panels per month to Apple.
Global shipments of the 5.8" AMOLED iPhone are estimated by the aforementioned sources at around 60-70 million units for 2017. This report goes on to say that Nissha Printing of Japan will supply the touch sensors for use with Samsung's AMOLEDs, while the bonding of the touch sensors with the display panels will be undertaken either by Samsung Display, or by Taiwan-based TPK Holding and General Interface Solution.
Apple's suppliers are set to start production for the next iPhones in small volumes in March, increasing their output in May-June so that there will be enough units to meet demand when they go on sale in the fall. As usual, take such reports with a dose of skepticism - even if this particular one does rehash things we've heard before. It's still pretty early in the new iPhones' development cycle, and even if all this information is true, things can still change until the handsets become official.