Samsung plans to produce OLED display for iPhone 7S screens

Samsung is preparing to build screens for future iPhones later this year, as part of a new partnership with Apple. For the first time on any iPhone, the displays will use OLED (organic light emitting diode) technology.

The South Korean company is planning to build a separate production line for the displays, which would become operational in the second quarter of 2016 (between April and June). This is timed well to coincide with the expected launch of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, the latter of which will likely have a 5.5in screen.

The news, first reported by Korea Herald, comes soon after claims that Samsung recently signed a contract with Apple to supply 100 million OLED panels annually, starting from the second quarter of 2016.

The latest report claims just 120,000 of the 5.5in panels will be made each month, suggesting production will initially be experimental, and Samsung will likely share duties with another manufacturer. Despite regularly appearing in court against Apple on claims of patent infringement, Samsung has worked with the California company for some time, having produced processors for several models of iPhone.

Samsung's display production line is expected at the company's A3 plant in the South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Here, Samsung already produces 15,000 flexible OLED panels each month. It will reportedly invest 10tn won (£6bn, $8.7bn) into expanding the facility, Hyundai Securities analyst Kim Dong-won told Korea Herald.

Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus at a media event in September, alongside iOS 10.