LG, which currently supplies display panels for both the iPad and iPhone, could be retrofitting its iPad screen supply lines in order to make iPhones. LG has reportedly asked for Apple's approval to do the retooling, and is waiting on a confirmation, tips The Elec.
The reason it thinks that its tablet display line should be able to produce both iPads and iPhones is simply that the 11-inch iPad Pro and its 13-inch iPad Pro (2024) sibling don't sell very well. Instead of 10 million units of the first OLED display iPads, shipments have reportedly been revised down to 6.7 million of the latest models.
In fact, the iPad Pro (2024) only sold well in its first quarter of existence, and then even the OLED display and screeching fast processor couldn't convince more users that they need one. To add insult to injury, it is the more expensive iPad Pro 13-inch that shows much weaker sales, and that's precisely the one LG is supplying OLED screens for.
Apple's iPhones, on the other hand, still enjoy the novelty factor and LG expects to get orders for 60 million iPhones this year, all the while it has prepared for something like the 52 million it produced screens for last year.
LG can make quite a lot of iPhones from a single iPad OLED screen. | Image credit – PhoneArena
The retooling of LG's iPad line to make iPhone screens can be done much sooner and cheaper than building an extra one to respond to the increase in iPhone display demand. This is why LG is aiming to retain the ultimate flexibility by retrofitting its iPad production set to also make iPhones when the going gets tough for Apple's Pro tablet line.
In fact, LG already has most of the equipment in place, and will only need to retool a part of the touchscreen layering process to make the smaller iPhones from the larger iPad OLED display sheets. The new iPad Pro is Apple's first device with tandem OLED display that layers two screen stacks on top of each other to increase brightness and longevity.
LG uses similar technology for its electric vehicle OLED displays, like the Mercedes pillar-to-pillar Hyperscreen. It can simply skip processing one of the OLED display layers, though, and manufacture a single-stack iPhone 16 series display on the iPad Pro line without much fuss if needed.
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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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