"On-Site Management": Lee Jae-yong Visits Samsung Display Facility
by Jang Heejun
Published 17 Sep.2025 15:53(KST)
Supplying OLED Panels for the Apple iPhone 17 Series
Concerns Arise Over Impact as China’s BOE Is Added as a Supplier
Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, visited the Samsung Display business site, demonstrating his commitment to on-site management. As the display industry faces challenges such as a slowdown in global demand and competition from Chinese companies, Chairman Lee's direct inspection of the site is interpreted as an effort to motivate the organization and enhance execution capabilities.
According to industry sources on September 17, Chairman Lee visited the Samsung Display Asan Campus in Asan, South Chungcheong Province the previous day to check on production status and tour the facility. The Samsung Display Asan Campus is considered a key hub for supplying organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels for information technology (IT) devices, including smartphones.
Samsung Display is supplying OLED panels for the Apple iPhone 17 series. Initially, only two companies-Samsung Display and LG Display-were supplying OLED panels to Apple, but with China’s BOE being added as a supplier this year, competition for orders is expected to intensify. Although Samsung Display still leads in supply volume, concerns have been raised that the company could be impacted by the rapid technological advancement and aggressive pricing and volume strategies of Chinese competitors.
Meanwhile, Samsung Display is expected to be the exclusive supplier of OLED panels for the foldable model of the Apple iPhone 18 series, which is scheduled for release next year. Rival LG Display has no record of supplying foldable phone OLED panels to smartphone manufacturers, and while China’s BOE supplies in large quantities to domestic companies, it is considered to lag behind in terms of technology.
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