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BOE is reviewing investment in a module line for certification evaluation for Apple iPhone

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It was found that BOE is considering investing in the golden line of modules for Apple’s iPhone at the B11 Mianyang plant. The module golden line invested this time is a line for iPhone certification evaluation, and the investment is expected to be confirmed in early 2023. Since evaluation and verification take a lot of time, it is analyzed that the verification line is invested first before the full-scale module line investment. The line is expected to be used for verification when investing in new iPhone 15 or iPhone 16 models.

After investing in module lines for verification and evaluation in 2023, it was found that BOE is preparing additional investment plans for between 14 and 20 Apple-oriented module lines at the B11 Mianyang plant. If BOE’s 20 module lines are completed, the annual volume of iPhone modules that BOE can produce is about 120 million units. However, since Apple’s demand is less than this and there are variables in negotiations with Apple, the investment is likely to proceed gradually.

BOE’s total supply of iPhones to Apple in 2022 is expected to be around 30 million units. BOE is supplying Apple with panels for the iPhone 12, 13, and 14 basic models, and is expected to supply panels for the iPhone 15 basic models to be released in 2023. It is not yet decided whether BOE will supply panels for the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 max model.

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[China Trend Report] Further Delays to BOE Chengdu B16 Line Investment

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BOE

BOE

There is a possibility that the investment in BOE’s B16 8.7G OLED line located in Chengdu will be further delayed. A member of the State Assets Commission, Beijing Municipal government’s regulations on BOE Group is the cause.

BOE organized staff for the B16 line earlier this year and secured a site around the Chengdu B7 line. According to the existing plan, equipment orders for the B16 line were expected to be placed around the end of 2022, but the plan is being put on hold as the Beijing city government tries to regulate the BOE group from investing in places other than Beijing.

Initially, BOE planned to invest in the B16 line according to the investment circumstances of the display market and Korean panel makers. However, they were faced with a situation in which they had to proceed with the investment while considering the regulations of the Beijing city government.

BOE is currently preparing to invest in B20 besides B16. B20 is a 6G LTPS LCD line and will be located in Beijing. Some speculate that B20 was invested in advance to obtain B16 investment approval.

However, even if the investment in the B20 line is completed, the investment in the B16 line is not certain. Just as the Beijing government’s regulations have changed, the number of clerks in Beijing have changed. Many variables are expected for the future in the B16 investment.

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[China Trend Report] Visionox Orders 6th Generation Vertical Vapor Deposition for IT

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According to a Chinese trend report published twice a month by UBI Research, Visionox ordered sixth-generation vertical vapor deposition machines for R&D on the V3 line.

Visionox Ordered Vertical Vapor Deposition, Source: Chinabidding.com

Visionox Ordered Vertical Vapor Deposition, Source: Chinabidding.com

Visionox’s V3 line is operated on with 30K/Month to mass-produce flexible OLEDs and this investment was done mainly on deposition process equipment in the spare space of the V3 site without investing in cells or module process equipment for IT.

The 6th generation vertical vapor deposition machine invested by Visionox this time is considered to be a prior investment to secure the technology of vertical vapor deposition and to determine the possibility of mass production in the 8th generation or higher in the future. The deposition process in the existing OLED line is being carried out as a horizontal deposition process and due to the issue of ledger glass and FMM control, FMM technology is applied to half-cut in the 6th generation line for mobile devices and open-mask technology in the 8th generation line for TV.

Since glass and masks are less affected by gravity than horizontal deposition, vertical deposition has the advantage of securing greater productivity by allowing deposition without cutting the ledger glass. However, mass production is still unclear.

If Visionox secures technology for vertical deposition through this investment, it is expected to invest in new lines for 8.5th generation IT without half-cut in the future.

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[China Trend Report] TCL CSOT delays new investment all at once

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<Display technology strategy announced by TCL CSOT at DTC 2021>

According to the China Trend Report published by UBI Research, the schedules of TCL CSOT’s 8.5G LCD line T9 and 6G LCD line T5 are expected to be delayed.
In early July, the T9-1 was put into operation, but overall equipment orders for the ph-2 were delayed. According to the report, the schedule is expected to be delayed by about six months.
The schedule of the T5 line is expected to be postponed indefinitely. The T5 line was expected to begin mass production in the second half of 2023, but the schedule is indefinitely postponed and the mass production schedule is also uncertain.
Accordingly, TCL Chairman Li Dong Sheng, who is scheduled to visit Korea at the end of July, is expected to seek the understanding of Korean equipment makers due to the delay of schedules for LCD lines as well as consultations due to Samsung Electronics’ decrease in TV panel volume.
After visiting Korea, he is expected to visit JOLED in Japan to check inkjet technology. According to this visit, it is expected that the outline of whether the T8 line will be applied with inkjet process or deposition technology will be revealed in the future.

China Trend Report Inquiry

Will BOE Resume iPhone 13 Production?

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iPhone13/Apple

It seems that BOE has started line operations for iPhone 13.
Back in March, most of the iPhone 13 shipments were canceled due to an issue with Apple. BOE will now resume production. With this new development, BOE’s forecast for iPhone 13 production this year is expected to increase after being adjusted down in March.
BOE has a total of 20 iPhone module lines at its B11 (Mianyang) plant. BOE’s production of the iPhone 13 is believed to have begun in early June and production of the iPhone 14 is expected to begin as well. The B11 factory has iPhone 13 line to produce iPhone 12 and 13 and iPhone 14 module line exclusively for iPhone 14, as the process is quite different from iPhone 13 line.
Details of BOE’s iPhone 13 and 14 production volume, panel unit price, and module line by product can be found in UBI Research’s ‘China Trend Report’. UBI Research’s ‘China Trend Report’ can be inquired on the UBI Research website.

[China Trend Report] Honor Magic4 Series, Panel Supply from BOE and Visionox

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According to the ‘China Trend Report’ published by UBI Research, Honor, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, announced Magic4 and Magic4 Pro at MWC 2022 held on February 28th.

Both products are 6.81 inches in size. Magic4 has a resolution of 1224×2664 and Magic4 Pro has a resolution of 1312×2848. The peak brightness of both products is 1,000nits and the refresh rate is 120Hz. LTPO TFT and 1,920Hz high frequency PWM dimming technology are applied.

The display panel is supplied by Chinese panel makers BOE and Visionox. The DDIC is supplied by Taiwanese IC chip maker Novatek. BOE supplies panels of three models: Magic4, Magic4 Pro, and Magic4 Pro plus. Visionox supplies panels of two models, Magic4 and Magic4 Pro.

Detailed mass production line and quantity estimation of Honor Magic4 series are included in ‘China Trend Report’. The ‘China Trend Report’ provides various information on the Chinese display industry trends, such as the latest issues of major Chinese display companies, line trends and shipments, equipment disclosures by company, and introduction of new products in China. The report can be inquired on the UBI Research website.