Samsung Display will supply foldable displays to some Chinese smartphone makers, with shipments scheduled to begin in the third quarter of this year and 1 million delivered by the end of the year, according to Sina Tech.
That means several foldable phones will be released by Chinese smartphone makers such as OPPO and Vivo in the second half of this year, the report said, citing insiders.
Samsung Display will supply Chinese phone makers with large horizontal folding screens, such as those used in the Samsung Z Fold, and small vertical folding screens, such as those used in the Z Flip, the report said.
So far, Samsung Display has only supplied foldable display panels to Samsung Electronics for Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip phones.
Over the past few years, Samsung Display has also been trying to contract with other buyers, but the attempt has not proceeded as planned.
Huawei was set to use Samsung Display's foldable screens, but then switched to BOE's folding screens, the report said. In addition, another Chinese company making foldable screens is TCL-owned Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co.
Currently, Samsung Display Co. is the only company using ultra-thin glass (UTG) in its foldable displays, which puts it in the lead in the field. Last November, BOE reportedly said it also plans to use UTG in its foldable screens.
Samsung Display is expected to produce more than 10 million foldable display panels this year. Of those, about 1 million will be supplied to Chinese phone makers, while the remainder will be supplied to Samsung Electronics.
Of the approximately 1 million foldable display panels provided to Chinese phone makers, horizontal folding screens are expected to account for 260,000, while vertical folding screens account for about 800,000.
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