It looks increasingly likely the 2018 iPhones will use Samsung OLED displays exclusively.
Although the iPhone is an Apple product, inside you'll find components from an array of different manufacturers. Apple likes to have multiple suppliers for each component because not only does it remove risk from the supply chain, it also allows the company to secure lower prices. However, when it comes to OLED, it looks as though Apple is stuck relying on Samsung.
As 9To5Mac reports, following the launch of the iPhone X last year, Apple has been trying to get LG on board as a second supplier of OLED panels for the 2018 iPhones. It is expected that Apple will launch two smartphones using OLED screens this year. The first is a 5.8-inch successor to the iPhone X, while the second is an iPhone X Plus sporting a 6.5-inch display.
Apple is believed to be paying around $97 per display to Samsung for the iPhone X. With LG coming on board as a second supplier that price could be negotiated down. But the latest reports suggest LG won't be ready in time to hit Apple's mass production deadline of July. Apparently there are ongoing manufacturing problems at LG for these smaller OLED screens.
If that is indeed the case, then not only will Apple need to rely on Samsung once again this year, it will be placing bigger orders due to not one, but two new iPhones requiring OLED panels. It's unlikely Samsung will move much on price because it doesn't need to, which will have the knock-on effect of the new iPhone X probably costing as much as last year's model. It could even end up making the 2018 iPhones less profitable for Apple.