Apple Ordered 70 Million OLED Panels From Samsung for iPhone 8: Report

In a new development, Apple has ordered as many as 70 million units of bendable OLED screens from Samsung for the production of its iPhone 8 this year. This number indicates that Apple expects the iPhone 8 to garner huge demand, and the company is preparing for it early on.

A fresh report from Nikkei Asian Review states that Apple has placed orders for bendable organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels with Samsung Electronics for use in 70 million handsets this year. This is in line with what IHS Markit senior director David Hsieh said about supply numbers.

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"Apple has ordered 70 million units of OLED panels from Samsung this year, while Samsung is preparing to churn out as many as 95 million for Apple in 2017, in case demand exceeds expectations," Hsieh said. If this is true, Apple is preparing ahead of schedule to ensure that there is no shortage of supply during launch, refuting previous rumours.

An earlier report indicated that the iPhone 8 may come in limited quantities when launched in September, and full-fledged availability could be delayed until the end of the fourth quarter. The reasons for delay were not detailed in the report, but constraints in OLED supply could not be the reason after all.

The report also cites Jeff Pu of Taipei-based Yuanta Investment Consulting who predicts that Apple could ship as many as 100 million new iPhones this year, and at least 55 million of them would be the iPhone 8. Lastly, the report also reiterates the addition of wireless charging, and waterproofing on all three iPhone models scheduled to release this year. The iPhone 8 is also again tipped to have a front 3-D sensor camera, and no Home Button. The report says that the other two devices will keep the Home Button intact.