BOE to Miss Out on iPhone 18 Pro OLED Orders Due to LTPO+ Challenges [Report]

Apple is moving ahead with Samsung Display and LG Display as the primary OLED panel suppliers for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Chinese manufacturer BOE is reportedly unlikely to secure orders for the premium devices.



According to supply chain sources via The Elec, BOE is struggling with Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide-Plus (LTPO+) technology. The company currently falls short of Apple's quality and yield requirements when compared to its South Korean competitors. The setback mirrors production issues BOE experienced earlier this year that forced Apple to reroute millions of panel orders to Samsung.


LTPO+ technology helps improve battery efficiency. It applies oxide materials to the driving transistors, offering much finer control over OLED light emission so the display can adapt dynamically to different environments. Apple demands massive, stable volumes of these panels to avoid hardware launch delays.

Samsung Display is picking up the bulk of the orders, with projections hitting 146 million Apple panels for the year. LG Display is expected to supply around 82 million units. Apple began increasing its panel orders in the first half of the year to get ahead of rising semiconductor and raw material prices. That push caused Samsung's early production volumes to jump between 10 and 15 percent.

BOE still retains a slice of Apple's overall business. Research firm UBI Research forecasts the manufacturer will ship roughly 35 million units this year. The vast majority of those panels are destined for older or entry-level hardware. The order sheet includes 12.5 million units spread across the iPhone 14, iPhone 16e, and the new iPhone 17e. BOE is also supplying 6 million panels for the iPhone 16 and 5.8 million for the iPhone 15. The company is forecast to ship 8.2 million panels for the iPhone 17 Pro and another 2.5 million for the standard iPhone 17.

While BOE currently trails Samsung and LG in LTPO+ panel quality and manufacturing yield, Apple continues working with the supplier to maintain leverage during price negotiations. However, with Apple expected to push LTPO technology across its entire iPhone lineup in the future, the technical bar for BOE to win high-volume orders continues to rise.