Numerous reports have suggested that Apple Inc. will unveil three new iPhones next year. Two models will retain the organic light-emitting diode or OLED display of the iPhone X, while the third device will be a more budget-friendly liquid-crystal display model.

The Investor, sister publication to The Korean Herald, reported today that Samsung Display Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., is set to quadruple its supply of OLED displays to Apple next year.

Samsung currently holds a near-monopoly on the world’s manufacturing of OLED displays. For the premium iPhone X (pictured above) this year, the first iPhone to feature an OLED display, Samsung Display reportedly supplied 50 million flexible OLED panels.

This figure will reportedly increase to between 180 million and 200 million for 2018, according to industry sources cited by The Investor. This isn’t surprising considering the recent reports that Apple will launch a 5.8-inch OLED iPhone like the current iPhone X’s and a larger “iPhone X Plus” model with a 6.4-inch display.

With Samsung reportedly making $110 off each iPhone X sold, an increase in supply next year will equate to between $19.8 billion and $22 billion in revenue for the Korean tech giant.

2018 iPhone X and iPhone X Plus mockups from Benjamin Geskin

Samsung currently manufactures the OLED display, NAND flash and DRAM chips in the iPhone X, but previous reports have suggested Apple plans to lessen its strong reliance on Samsung.

A report about a foldable iPhone, due out in 2020, will reportedly be a partnership between Apple and LG Corp. LG Display Co. Ltd. has been reported as a possible supplier of OLED displays for upcoming iPhones, but according to Eric Chiou, an analyst at Taipei-based research company WitsView Technology Corp., the company will be in a position to provide Apple only with an estimated 10 million OLED displays in 2018.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Apple is reportedly investing around $2.67 billion in LG’s OLED production for smartphones that would be available in iPhones starting 2019.  

Today’s report from The Investor also claimed that Samsung is becoming more efficient at the production of OLED displays that meet Apple’s strict quality standards. At the start of the year, it had a yield rate of about 60 percent, which has now risen to almost 90 percent. With a 90 percent yield rate, Samsung Display would be in a position to manufacture approximately 224 million 6-inch panels per year.

Image: William Hook; Flickr