November 23, 2024

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[ET NEWS] Chinese display firm BOE is building manufacturing lines to roll out flexible touch screen-integrated OLED displays, named Y-Octa, in a serious challenge to Samsung Display which has a monopoly in the technology, according to industry sources on March 13.

The subsidiary of tech giant Samsung Electronics, and the world’s largest mobile OLED maker, has been spearheading the mobile OLED realm with the product. 

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The Chinese display maker will refurbish some of the lines at its B11 plant in Mianyang, Sichuan province. The B11 is the second sixth-generation OLED plant the firm operates in the region.

Samsung is currently the only display manufacturer of the touch-integrated display. Before the development of the technology, a separate TSP film was placed on top of the panels layers and plates including a polarizer, glass plates, and a panel attached with the self-luminous diodes.

It is not known how advanced BOE’s technology for the display is, but it is thought its technical capability has reached a level to begin mass production.

“Having seen Samsung create a highly profitable market with the product incorporating the touch sensor, BOE has decided to follow suit,” said an industry source. “The lines are now being built in Mianyang as far as I know.”

BOE’s latest attempt to enter the segment is said to be aimed at supplying OLED displays to Apple.

The US smartphone maker plans to adopt Samsung’s touch-integrated OLED displays into its high-end iPhones. The company has stuck to a display installed with a separate TSP on top since the first iPhone in 2007. In recent months, however, the iPhone maker has been mulling to deploy Samsung’s OLED display featuring the TSP inside, which can make a mobile device thinner and lighter.

It is highly likely for Apple to receive touch-integrated panels from BOE since working with multiple parts suppliers is a norm for the company.

BOE, which ran what is called a L6 project to become a supplier for Apple last year, is now proceeding with its L7 project to provide displays for the US firm.

“Based on the L6 project, BOE was able to clinch a deal with Huawei to supply OLED panels for flagship phones,” an industry source said,

By Yoon Kun-il (benyun@etnews.com)

This story was co-produced by ET News and The Investor. For any inquiries, contact Kim Young-won at wone0102@heraldcorp.com