This year's iPhone launch brought a boatload of front-facing changes for the standard models in the lineup. Last year, the company introduced Dynamic Island for the iPhone 14 Pro models. However, the standard iPhone 14 models featured the same notch as the iPhone 13 series. Now, the entire iPhone 15 lineup features Dynamic Island on the front, bringing the standard models much closer to the 'Pro' models as far as the design is concerned. A new report claims that Apple supplier BOE has difficulty expanding the OLED supply for the iPhone 15 models due to light leakage issues.
BOE continues to face light leakage issues for iPhone 15 OLED panels as it struggles to expand supply and boost yield
According to a report from DigiTimes, Apple supplier BOE is facing leaking light issues on its OLED panels for the iPhone 15. This has resulted in lower yields and could impact overall supply, which resulted in receiving conditional approval in March. However, BOE failed to deliver production up to Apple's standards. Henceforth, the Cupertino giant canceled the orders in September.
BOE was tapped to deliver OLED panels for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. The supplier ran into a light leakage issue on the panels dedicated to the standard models. If you are unfamiliar, the leaking light issue stems around Dynamic Island on the OLED display, where the hole punch and the pill-shaped cutout for the TrueDepth camera sensor are situated.
Fortunately for Apple, Samsung also produces OLED panels for the iPhone 15 lineup. The supplier secured 91 percent of the market share from June to August this year. Samsung's efficiency poses a threat to BOE as it will benefit significantly from the iPhone 15 OLED orders. It remains to be seen how BOE will tackle the light leakage issue for its panels and how Apple will move forward with the supplier. BOE could also lose Apple as a client and revenue, considering how well the iPhone sells against other smartphones.
It was initially speculated that BOE will supply 5 million to 15 million iPhone 15 panels in 2023. Due to the ongoing production issues, the yield has been relatively low, coming in at around 2 million to 3 million panels. The yield rate has dropped to 30 percent. Likely, BOE will not get production approval from Apple for the iPhone 15 lineup this year. With the iPhone 15 launched and out in the market, Apple has focused its attention on the iPhone 16 lineup.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will feature an OLED panel similar to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. However, the 'Pro' models are expected to increase display size significantly. For instance, it was reported that the iPhone 16 Pro will feature a 6.3-inch display, an up from 6.1-inch on the iPhone 15 Pro.
About the author: Ali Salman is a technology reporter for Wccftech mobile section with a specialized focus on Apple and the intellectual property that drives mobile innovation. He has cultivated a unique expertise in analyzing and deconstructing complex technology patents, translating dense legal and technical documents into clear, insightful reports on future products.
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