Chinese manufacturer BOE aims to supply Apple with OLED display panels in future

A tech factory in China's Sichuan province is aiming to supply display screens for Apple's iPhone, furthering China's agenda to become a global leader in manufacturing.At the moment, Apple relies exclusively on Samsung for the supply of OLED displays for the iPhone X, and according to a report (paywall) by The Wall Street Journal, BOE Technology group in China is aiming to supply Apple with OLED displays in future. BOE already supplies display for iPads and MacBooks.BOE Technology group is controlled by the Beijing city government and is the only Chinese company that supplies displays to Apple.[caption id="attachment_4797891" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Apple iPhone X. Image: tech2/Rehan Hooda[/caption]If this deal happens, then it will not only help BOE and China compete with Japan, Taiwan and South Korea in terms of manufacturing, but also help Apple create a firm relationship with the Chinese government.The only challenge for BOE is that they have an expertise in making LCDs because that's what they have exclusively made in the past, and OLED display is considerably difficult to manufacture.LCDs can be mass-produced easily, however, OLED displays require a lot of tiny organic materials.According to the report, even Samsung has struggled with the production of OLED displays with good quality.If BOE signs a contract with Apple, it will only be able to supply the OLED panels by 2020. The company already sells OLED displays to Huawei and expects other manufacturers to sign contracts later this year.