Copyright Wccftech
Apple revamped its iPhone 17 lineup this year by introducing ProMotion technology to the base model, making it one of the best decisions it could ever make for its flagship smartphone family. Best of all, it brings a host of other upgrades while retaining that $699 price point, which is probably why the iPhone 17 has garnered immense popularity worldwide, particularly in China. Part of why Apple has been able to keep this price unchanged from the iPhone 16 is by keeping the display costs low. According to the latest report, the OLED panel in the iPhone 17 costs around 42 percent less compared to the one on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, giving Apple tremendous flexibility when deciding the MSRP of this particular model. New estimate says base iPhone 17 OLED costs $40, while the ‘Pro’ models’ display can go up to $70 The iPhone 17 display supply chain is currently dominated by Samsung and LG, accounting for 98 percent of all units, according to Chosun, which cited information from UBI Research. Samsung made up 64.5 percent of the total with 57.3 million units, while LG secured second place with 30.3 million units, or a 34.1 percent market share. Unfortunately, BOE has been unable to dent Apple’s supply chain, shipping a measly 1.3 million units and garnering a negligible 1.4 percent market share. LG is currently responsible for providing Apple with OLED panels for the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. The report estimates that the display’s price for the base model is $40, whereas Apple has to pay between $60-$70 for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. This difference in panel prices is an interesting comparison, because this year was the first that Apple introduced ProMotion technology to the entire lineup, and it still manages to pay less for the base iPhone 17’s panel. When taking a closer look at the display specifications for each model, we learned that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max support the same peak brightness and are HDR10 compliant. It is only the iPhone 17 Pro Max whose OLED flaunts a higher resolution than the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17, which may have introduced a price bump. Our best guess is that the ‘Pro’ models’ OLEDs have razor-thin bezels, which are more difficult and expensive to manufacture, resulting in the price difference, but let us know what you think is the reason for this disparity. News Source: Chosun
