Orders for Apple's MacBook Pro and iPad Pro are believed to be the reason why Samsung Display is investing another $3.1 billion in its OLED display panel manufacturing plant. Samsung Display is a major supplier to Apple and already produces screens for its iPhone and iPad production lines. According to DSCC's Ross Young, Samsung's investment in the factory will also be used for the 14-inch and 16-inch OLED MacBook Pro, which are expected to be released in 2026.
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In order to increase production capacity, Samsung plans to invest billions of dollars in the Asan factory in South Korea. According to Reuters, South Korea's Trade Ministry said on Tuesday that Samsung will invest approximately 4.1 trillion won (approximately US$3.14 billion) by 2026. The investment in the Asan plant will be used to produce advanced OLED display panels that can be used in tablets and computers. Although not specified, this means that Apple's future iPad will benefit from it.
Multiple supply chain reports suggest that the iPad Pro with an OLED screen, due to be launched in 2024, may be an iteration with a higher production cost. It is believed that the 11-inch iPad Pro equipped with an OLED display may be 80% more expensive than the current generation product, with a starting price of around US$1,500.
Obviously, manufacturing an OLED screen for the MacBook Pro involves a lot of technical risk. Ross claims this is because it requires a "new backplane approach and frontplane approach" with the aim of reducing costs and improving performance.
Samsung's investment is part of a broader plan previously announced by Samsung Electronics to invest 60.1 trillion won outside Seoul over the next decade.