BOE's Cracking Glass Problem Threatens OLED iPad Supply Plans
Repeated glass breakages at BOE's new OLED factory have persisted for roughly six months, potentially hindering its attempt to win iPad display orders from Apple, The Elec reports. The Chinese display maker apparently only recently begun Apple's panel qualification process. According to the report, the manufacturing difficulties could either postpone orders or prevent BOE from securing them. A…
Repeated glass breakages have plagued BOE's new OLED factory for approximately six months, potentially impeding its efforts to secure iPad display orders from Apple, as reported by The Elec. The Chinese display manufacturer recently commenced Apple's panel qualification process. Manufacturing complications could either delay or prevent BOE from obtaining these orders, with a broken sheet of glass leaving production equipment unusable for half a day to a full day while workers remove fragments and inspect machinery.
Even when most substrates pass through the line without breaking, the issue remains disruptive, as two or three breakages among 1,000 substrates could still hinder mass production. The impact extends beyond the lost damaged sheet, as other production cannot proceed through the affected equipment during recovery. Sources indicate that these incidents must be almost entirely eliminated for continuous operation.
The affected facility, B16 in Chengdu, houses BOE's 8.6-generation OLED production line, while the company continues to operate two other lines there. However, the cause of the glass failures remains unknown. Earlier reports suggested BOE's iPad Air plans were linked to its separate B12 facility in Chongqing, while B16 was associated with its pursuit of supplying OLED MacBook Pro panels.
An August report had anticipated the launch of new iPad Air models with OLED displays in the first half of 2027, with Samsung Display as the primary supplier. BOE's previous collaboration with Apple has faced disruptions due to manufacturing and approval issues. In 2022, Apple reportedly paused production of BOE's iPhone 13 displays after discovering unauthorized modifications to their design.
In 2023, reports detailed light leakage around the Dynamic Island cutouts, limiting the supply of iPhone 15 panels. In January, a report indicated that Apple had shifted millions of OLED panel orders for the iPhone to Samsung Display following BOE's recurrence of production difficulties.
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