Samsung is reportedly considering the purchase of LCD and OLED panels from rival company BOE. Official talks have commenced as the two tech giants explore renewed cooperation following a recent legal dispute. Samsung recently won a patent infringement case against BOE, which resulted in restrictions on BOE OLED shipments in the US. Despite these issues, relations between the companies appear to be improving.
Reports indicate that Samsung Electronics and BOE have resumed high-level discussions after months of tension. BOE Chairman Chen Yanshun recently visited Samsung offices and met with key executives, including TM Roh and TV division head Yong Seok-woo. They discussed BOE potentially producing up to ten million LCD panels for Samsung televisions.
Additionally, discussions included the possibility of Samsung purchasing BOE’s OLED panels for its smartphones. This development follows Samsung’s legal victory over BOE, where Samsung Display demonstrated that BOE had used proprietary technology to develop OLED panels. The ruling also banned BOE’s panel shipments to the US, although Samsung later resolved its direct conflict with BOE.
This is not the first instance of BOE supplying OLED panels for Samsung smartphones; it previously provided screens for budget models. However, relations soured during the patent infringement litigation. Since then, BOE has continued to supply OLED panels to Chinese brands like Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo, but not to global companies.
Currently, Samsung is facing pressure from rising component costs, particularly for displays. If the negotiations succeed and Samsung secures OLED panels from BOE at lower prices, it could see a reduction in manufacturing costs. For BOE, this would represent a valuable opportunity to expand its partnerships with global brands.
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