Apple Set to Surpass Samsung as Largest Purchaser of AMOLED Displays in 2021

Apple is set to surpass Samsung as the largest purchaser of AMOLED displays for smartphones later this year following the release of the iPhone 13 lineup, which will push the adoption of flexible AMOLED displays in iPhones to 80%, according to a new report from DigiTimes.

Apple adopted flexible AMOLED displays for its entire iPhone 12 lineup and is expected to continue doing so for the 2021 iPhones. According to today's report, which cites estimation numbers from research firm Omdia, Apple is expected to purchase 169 million display panels for the iPhone this year, compared to last year's order of 114.5 million.

The sources cited Omdia estimates as indicating that Apple is expected to increase its AMOLED panels to 169 million pieces for iPhones in 2021 from 114.5 million in 2020, while Samsung's corresponding purchases are estimated to rise slightly to 157 million pieces from 152.3 million.

Samsung Display is expected to remain the largest supplier of AMOLED panels for iPhones in 2021, offering an estimated 110 million pieces, compared to LG Display's 50 million and BOE's nine million, the sources said.

Alongside flexible AMOLED displays for the iPhone 13 lineup, higher-end models in the lineup, such as the Pro and Pro Max, are expected to include LTPO backpanel technology. LTPO panels not only help reduce power consumption for the display, which could enable-feature such as an always-on display for the iPhone, but it also allows a higher refresh rate.

Apple has been rumored to include a 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate in its iPhone for some time; however, none of the rumors have yet proven to be true. Apple was reportedly close to adopting LTPO technology with the 2020 iPhone but likely decided to focus on the introduction of 5G on the iPhone as the main selling point instead. With the iPhone 13, Apple is now being widely reported to include LTOP display technology with a 120Hz refresh rate.