China’s display maker Beijing Oriental Electronics (BOE) could lose 30 million display orders for the upcoming iPhone 14 after it reportedly changed the design of the iPhone 13’s display to increase profitability or the production of defective products, according to a report by The Elec (via 9to5Mac).
Apple commissioned BOE to make displays for the iPhone 13 last October, a short-lived deal that ended earlier this month when Apple reportedly caught BOE handling its displays. Sources close to the situation told The Elec that BOE claims to have changed the circuit width of the thin film transistors on the iPhone 13 display without Apple’s knowledge. (Did they really think Apple wouldn’t notice?)
However, this decision may continue to haunt BOE, as Apple may remove the company from the work of creating an OLED display for iPhone 14. According to The Elec, BOE sent an executive director at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino to explain the incident and says it has not received an order to produce displays for the iPhone 14. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 14 at an event this fall, but The Elec says production of its display could begin as early as next month.
Instead of BOE, The Elec expects Apple to split the 30 million display order between LG Display and Samsung Display, its two main display suppliers. Samsung will probably produce 6.1 and 6.7-inch displays for the upcoming iPhone 14 Pro, while LG will make a 6.7-inch display for the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
According to MacRumors, BOE previously only produced screens for refurbished iPhones. Apple later hired the company to ship OLED displays for the new iPhone 12 in 2020, but its first batch of panels failed to pass Apple’s rigorous quality control tests. Since the beginning of this year, BOE’s production has also been affected by a shortage of display driver chips.
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