A new report on the supply chain said that Samsung has refused to produce screens for iPhone SE 4 – expected to launch in 2025 with major upgrades.
The screen of iPhone SE 4 will be manufactured by BOE.
A report from Korea said that Samsung has not reached an agreement with Apple on screen price. Therefore, the screen of iPhone SE 4 will be manufactured by BOE (China).
Rumors about iPhone SE 4
Rumors about the iPhone SE 4 first appeared last November. According to sources, “Apple” is planning to remove the Home button and bring the iPhone SE 4 consistent with today's full-screen design.
This was corroborated by a later report. The report claims that Apple will use the iPhone 13's display for the new iPhone SE, which is essentially the same as the display used on the iPhone 14.
Reusing technology from old iPhones is a great way to help the Cupertino-based company reduce costs (since all the R&D work has already been done and factored into current production costs). .
iPhone SE 4 concept photo.
Now, Samsung has refused to produce iPhone SE 4 screens. All screens of this iPhone will be manufactured by BOE.
According to Korean media – ZDNet Korea, Samsung withdrew from negotiations due to price issues. The screen purchase price offered by Apple is only 25 USD (about 620 thousand VND). Meanwhile, the proposed price from Samsung is 30 USD (about 744 thousand VND).
Tianma failed to demonstrate it could meet Apple's quality standards for displays, so BOE was awarded the sole contract, the report said.
Letting BOE exclusively produce screens for the iPhone SE 4 will bring some level of risk. Samsung has produced screens for iPhone 13 and iPhone 14, so it is fully capable of solving all challenges in the production line, achieving high productivity right from the start. Although BOE can learn lessons from Samsung, it is still possible for some problems to occur during mass production.
For many years, Apple has always tried to diversify its suppliers, both to reduce risks and maximize its negotiating power.
But since the iPhone SE is not a flagship product and Apple cannot negotiate a price with Samsung, the company will likely be satisfied with the results. Samsung will not regret this low profit because it still has a large revenue source from producing screens for higher-end iPhones.
