Chinese display makers are reportedly competing to secure orders from Apple to supply OLED panels for the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, according to a machine-translated report from IT Home.
One alleged supplier has been named in the report, while others remain unknown. The supplier in question is reportedly Tianma, which is seeking to become a “secondary supplier” for OLED panels designated for the upcoming iPhone SE generation. IT Home adds that Apple has been in active discussions with suppliers, including Tianma, to secure iPhone SE 4 panel orders. Representatives from the Cupertino company allegedly visited multiple factories in China during the first half of the year to assess each potential supplier’s viability, the report adds.
In all cases, Tianma will likely become a secondary supplier for the iPhone SE 4 if its bid is successful. The primary supplier could be a bigger display maker such as BOE, which is rumored to be already struggling with assembling suitable displays for the upcoming iPhone 15. The report also reiterates rumors that an updated iPhone SE will adopt a design similar to the iPhone 14, finally letting go of the iPhone 8-based design.
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Earlier this year, trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that the iPhone SE 4 will come with a new all-screen design while getting rid of the home button, bringing Apple’s budget iPhone more in line with recent iPhone generations. The refreshed iPhone SE is also rumored to be the first iPhone with a custom Apple-made modem, as the company seeks to lessen its reliance on Qualcomm and other suppliers.
While Kuo later doubted that the iPhone SE 4 would ever make it to mass production, today’s report indicates that the budget iPhone might be back on track, but won’t be available to consumers till 2025 instead of 2024 as predicted earlier.
