Report: Apple's anniversary iPhone in 2027 will pose a challenge for display manufacturers

From today's perspective, the majority of iPhone 20 displays in 2027 could well come from LG, which is currently going to great lengths to prepare itself for the production of these new displays, as a report from Korean media outlet Dealsite suggests. Traditionally, 60% of iPhone display panels come from Samsung Display and only 40% from LG Display. However, Samsung currently appears to be primarily focused on producing the foldable AMOLED panels for Apple's first iPhone Fold next year, as an industry insider stated to the magazine. Regarding the anniversary iPhone, there is an almost eerie silence among Samsung's suppliers.

In stark contrast, competitor LG Display is rumored to be investing 400 billion Korean won (approximately $271 million) in Apple's 2027 iPhone, which, following the iPhone 18 will not likely be called iPhone 19 but rather iPhone 20 or iPhone XX. According to industry representatives, the high investments are primarily due to the fact that Apple's display requirements necessitate completely new production methods, as the AMOLED panel, which appears completely borderless and is curved on all four sides, is a completely different concept to Samsung's earlier Edge panels.

Not only do the panels themselves have to be curved at the edges, but so do their circuitry. Furthermore, the thin-film encapsulation (TFE) process, used to protect against moisture and oxygen in the ambient air, must be significantly thinner. Moreover, Apple intends to invisibly integrate all currently visible components in Dynamic Island, such as the Face ID sensor and FaceTime camera, beneath the display, requiring entirely new production facilities from display manufacturers. An industry representative expects that Samsung will also have no choice but to build additional factories for the production of the new Apple display.