Alongside Apple and Samsung Electronics, Chinese smartphone manufacturers are accelerating the launch of OLED phones, further expanding the influence of OLED technology. Notably, Apple's OLED panel procurement rate for smartphones reached 100% in the first quarter of 2025, drawing significant attention.
According to ZDNet Korea, citing data from Omdia, OLED smartphones accounted for 63% of total smartphone shipments in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 6pp.
Analysis indicates that the growth in OLED usage is primarily driven by flexible OLED panels, especially with rapid production expansion by Chinese panel manufacturers. Statistics show that China shipped 364 million OLED panels for smartphones in 2024, an increase of over 120 million units compared to the previous year.
In recent years, both Apple and Samsung have actively adopted OLED displays in their smartphones. In the first quarter of 2025, Apple's OLED panel procurement ratio reached 100%, while Samsung's stood at 84%.
It is believed that due to Apple's shift to a full OLED lineup after discontinuing its last LCD model at the end of 2024, its OLED procurement share was pushed to 100%.
Meanwhile, Chinese companies continue to focus on low-cost smartphone models, keeping OLED adoption rates below 50%. However, major brands such as Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi are steadily increasing their purchases of flexible OLED panels.
Omdia's analysis highlights that OLED has firmly established itself as the mainstream display technology for smartphones. It forecasts that in 2025, more than 60% of global smartphone shipments will feature OLED screens, with total OLED smartphone shipments expected to exceed 750 million units by the end of 2025.
OLED panels vary based on application technology into rigid OLED and flexible OLED categories. Flexible OLEDs offer advantages in thickness and design freedom, making them high-value-added products.
Article translated by Charlene Chen and edited by Jack Wu
