Samsung is trying to cut corners wherever possible to eke out cost savings in the face of a historic surge in memory chip prices. Now, the latest tidbit sees the base Galaxy S27 variant adopting OLED screens from China's BOE, potentially unleashing quality control issues.
Samsung's risky bet on China's BOE for the Galaxy S27's display panels might boomerang on its reputation
According to a Korean publication, Samsung's CEO of its TV and smartphone business plans to visit China's BOE within the ongoing month to explore commercial opportunities.
This visit is quite significant, especially given the rumor that Samsung might equip the base Galaxy S27 with OLED panels from BOE to cut costs on the low-margin variant.
Samsung has apparently already asked BOE to furnish technical information regarding the relevant OLED panel. If everything pans out, the base Galaxy S27 will become the first model within the Galaxy S-series to sport a display panel from BOE, marking a significant stride for the Chinese company since at least 2021, when the two companies first explored such a deal for the Galaxy S21, but failed to make much headway at the time.
Of course, given the ongoing memory 'chipflation' and the concurrent soaring costs of mobile SoCs, Samsung might be able to better preserve its narrow margins on the base Galaxy S27 by using BOE's OLED panels. Such a step, however, creates material consumer-facing risks, given the purported vulnerability of BOE's panels to the unsightly green lines that then mar the display.
Do note that BOE is a major supplier of LTPS OLED panels for Apple's iPhone 17e as well as a host of legacy models such as the iPhone 13 (2021), the iPhone 14 (2022), the iPhone 15 (2023), the iPhone 16 (2024), and the iPhone 16e (2025). The company has also moved into the LTPO OLED space.
As such, the company controls around 25 percent of the global display panel market, with revenue approaching nearly $30 billion at margins of just around 2.7 percent.
Who knows, perhaps the ongoing back-and-forth between Samsung and BOE might result in a display panel that matches the quality of the one from Samsung itself, allowing the South Korean behemoth's mobile unit to improve its finances without compromising on quality. It is, at any rate though, a risky gambit, especially as Apple seems to have abandoned its sloth of the past few years to start putting up fierce competition again.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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