Chinese display company asks Apple for forgiveness after spec cheating incident

According to The Elec, Beijing Oriental Electronics (BOE), a Chinese display manufacturer, sent its leaders to Apple headquarters, expressing its desire to continue producing displays for the iPhone 14, a smartphone line expected to launch in September. Previously, BOE was discovered to have arbitrarily adjusted the screen parameters of the iPhone 13.

Specifically, BOE was found to have changed the width of the circuit board on the thin-film transistor of the screen without Apple's approval to increase the rate of products meeting quality standards.

Along with Samsung and LG Display, BOE is the screen supplier for the iPhone 13. In early May, Apple terminated its contract with BOE after discovering the above fraud, just 7 months after the company participated in the production of screens for the iPhone 13. Not only that, BOE also faces the risk of losing 30 million screen orders for the iPhone 14 from Apple.

According to The Elec, BOE sent senior leaders and some employees to Apple's headquarters in Cupertino (USA) to explain the incident and expressed its desire to continue producing screens for the iPhone 14. However, Apple has not yet given a clear response on this matter and BOE has not yet received an order to produce screens for the iPhone 14.

If it receives an order from Apple, BOE can produce screens as early as this June.

According to some information, Apple is expected to split 30 million screen orders between LG Display and Samsung Display instead of choosing BOE. Samsung is expected to provide 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screens for the iPhone 14 Pro duo, while the 6.7-inch screen for the iPhone 14 Pro Max will be manufactured by LG.

In 2020, Apple partnered with OLED to supply OLED screens for the iPhone 12. However, due to the low quality of the products, the partnership ended. In 2021, Apple chose BOE again to supply screens for the iPhone 13, making the company the third largest supplier after Samsung and LG Display.

According to 9to5mac, Apple always sets very high standards for its products, so the quality rate is always a challenge for Apple's suppliers. Even Samsung Display - the company that owns the advanced production line, once recorded a product quality rate of less than 60%. This could be the reason why BOE quietly adjusted the parameters to increase screen production.