(Yicai Global) July 7 -- BOE Technology Group, a Chinese display panel giant that is trying to expand to high-end segments and clients, is certified to provide flexible organic light-emitting diode panels to Apple’s iPhone 14, according to multiple market insiders.

BOE's next-generation display products have entered Apple’s iPhone 14 supply chain, a senior analyst said to Yicai Global. The liquid-crystal display behemoth counts Huawei Technologies and Samsung Electronics as some of its clients. 

The California-headquartered device maker has notified the Chinese manufacturer about the granted certification for the upcoming iPhone model, research institute Runto Technology wrote in a report published yesterday. The handset is expected to be debuted in September.

BOE is expected to kick off mass production of OLDE panels for Apple 14 from this month and to start mass shipment in September, this year’s shipment target is at least 5 million pieces of 6.1-inch OLED panels, according to Runto Technology.

But no official announcement is out yet. An insider close to BOE said to Yicai Global that the Beijing-based company and its client has non-disclosure agreement for such matters, so no further information can be provided at this moment.

Apple is expected to purchase more than 90 million OLED panels for the upcoming iPhone 14 this year, according to Runto. South Korean panel makers Samsung Display and LG Display are predicted to remain the largest suppliers.

The anticipated collaboration with BOE means that China’s domestically-produced OLED panels are gradually gaining recognition from first-tier international clients, Wang Yuhong, chief operating officer at Runto, told Yicai Global. 

That could mean all the research and development efforts are finally paying off. BOE began supplying OLED products to Huawei as early as 2018 so as its shipments gradually increase, the company may be able to turn the loss-making OLED business profitable this year, an analyst in the electronics sector said to Yicai Global.

BOE could get closer to Apple. The MacBook maker has counted BOE as one of its OLED suppliers since 2020. The Chinese firm has provided the American company with screens for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. Last year, BOE shipped over 16 million OLED panels for smartphones to Apple, accounting for about 10 percent of the latter's total, per Runto.

It is not easy to catch up with the South Korean rivals. China-made OLED panels have plenty of room for improvement in terms of product quality, stability, as well as business collaborations, according to the above-mentioned senior analyst.

Early this year, BOE said that its target for flexible OLED panel shipments in 2022 is more than 100 million units. In 2021, BOE shipped over 60 million flexible OLED panels, up more than 65 percent from a year earlier. Over 90 percent of the products were destined for smartphones. 

Editors: Tang Shihua, Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi