Samsung to supply Apple with OLED panels for tablets, laptops by 2026

Samsung Display is expected to supply organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays to Apple for tablets and laptops as early as the first half of 2026.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, second from left, and President Yoon Suk Yeol, second from right, pose for a photo with other participants at a signing ceremony at Samsung Display plant in Asan, South Chungcheong on April 4, 2023. Samsung Display announced to invest 4.1 trillion won in upgrading production lines for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels for tablets and laptops. [NEWS1]

Samsung Display is expected to supply organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays to Apple for tablets and laptops as early as the first half of 2026.

“Earlier this year, Samsung Display decided to invest in the manufacturing plant for the OLED panels,” according to a report by the display-focused market tracker UBI Research. “From the first half of 2026, a variety of OLED-based laptops, tablets and PC monitors will be produced by Samsung Display.”

Samsung Display spokesperson confirmed the year to the Korea JoongAng Daily, but did not pinpoint the specific production timeline.

"It is true that the new production line will be completed by 2026, but it is difficult to give a direct answer at this point whether the panel supply will begin at the first half or the latter half of that year," the spokesperson said.

In April, Samsung Display announced that it will make a 4.1 trillion won ($3.04 billion) investment at its plant in Asan, South Chungcheong to upgrade existing production lines so that it can gear up to produce the displays for iPads and MacBooks.

As exclusively revealed by Korea JoongAng Daily back in April, UBI Research had confirmed that Apple will be the main client related to the investment.

Samsung Display is presently the biggest OLED supplier for iPhones, but it has never supplied the panel type for other products.

“LG Display and China’s BOE are also planning to invest in the laptop-focused OLED production line as soon as they attract the investment and clients,” the report said. “China's Visionox is also in talks with equipment companies to invest on OLED panels.

“As demand for the OLED panels grow and investments are made, OLED-based products will become the next high value-added market after smartphones.”

Annual shipments for OLED panels are projected to jump some 138 percent on year to 18.8 million units by 2024 thanks to the release of Apple’s first-ever OLED-based iPads next year. The figure is expected to continue to rise to 22.6 million in 2025, 26.9 million in 2026 and 31.3 million in 2027.

iPads and MacBooks have LCD panels that use microscopic LEDs as backlights. But the OLEDs emit light directly without needing a backlight, allowing for better contrast and color.

“OLED panels did not gain much attention for the tablet product categories compared to smartphone and TV displays but is touted to have potential growth as demand for tablets and laptops grew after the Covid-19 pandemic and Apple decided to equip its products with the panels,” the report said.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]