Apple to evaluate BOE’s iPhone 14 OLED panel this week: Report

SAN FRANCISCO: Tech giant Apple will start evaluating the Chinese display maker Beijing Oriental Electronics' (BOE) samples of OLED panels aimed for the upcoming iPhone 14 this week, media report says.

The display panel maker is hoping to receive approval from the iPhone maker within the month, citing sources, TheElec reported.

If Apple approves, BOE will start mass production of the panels aimed at the standard model out of the four in the iPhone 14 series, sometime between July and August.

This is a couple of weeks behind its South Korean competitors Samsung Display and LG Display which are expected to start mass production near the end of this month, the report said.

Earlier this year, BOE was caught by Apple having changed the circuit width of the thin film transistors on the OLED panels it was manufacturing for iPhone 13.

This caused its supply of OLED panels for iPhone 13 to dip beginning in February.

Executives of the Chinese company visited Cupertino to explain the situation to Apple and receive approval for OLED panels aimed at iPhone 14.

BOE recently received a re-approval to supply panels for iPhone 13 by Apple, the sources said.

Given the situation, the Chinese display giant needs to win as many orders of OLED panels for the upcoming iPhone 14.

The report mentioned that it will likely end up supplying around 5 million units at most, given its recent debacle with the panels for iPhone 13.