Earlier in the week we reported that supply chain sources were suggesting Apple had ordered 70 million OLED panels for the iPhone 8 however, with continued hype for the launch of their 10th anniversary handset it’s believed Apple has upped their order according to Nikkei who reports that Apple has agreed a two year contract with Samsung to produce up to 92 million OLED displays for the iPhone 8.
While Apple is no stranger to OLED displays, with the technology currently being used on the Apple Watch on for the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar, the iPhone 8 will be the first time Apple will be using the product on their leading device category.
The sources speaking with Nikkei also reported that the iPhone 8 will feature wireless charging and 3D facial recognition, in addition to replacing a physical home button with a virtual one. It’s said that Apple will also offer two LCD-based models sized at 4.7 and 5.5 inches that will also feature wireless charging and waterproofing however will keep a physical home button compared to a virtual one on the higher spec iPhone 8 handset.
Based on the contract, Samsung Display will ship 70-92 million small-size OLED panels to Apple in 2017, said the reports. This means that about 30% of iPhone devices shipped in 2017 will come with curved OLED panels, given that Apple currently ships about 200 million iPhone devices a year.