Apple recently unveiled its new MacBook Pro lineup and as expected, the new models come with an OLED panel where the function key row would normally be. Apple is calling this multi-touch OLED display a Touch Bar. The company didn’t say where it sourced the OLED display from but according to a new report, Samsung is the one supplying Apple with the panels for its Touch Bar.
A report out of Korea claims that the OLED panel for the new MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar comes from Samsung’s Display A2 line and that it was selected because it’s thinner than a conventional LED panel. The control integrated circuit is also said to be supplied by Samsung, its System LSI Business Department to be precise.
It can’t be said for sure that Samsung really is the supplier until the new MacBook Pro goes through a teardown and we get a good look at each and every component. It shouldn’t take long now for these new notebooks to get the teardown treatment so we will find that out soon enough.
However, it’s quite possible that Samsung really is the supplier because the company is already the main supplier of OLED panels across the globe. Its lead in the global OLED market is unmatched and since Apple has a strict standard that it needs to maintain while sourcing components, Samsung seems to be a natural fit here.
Apple is also expected to source the OLED panels for its next-generation iPhone due next year from Samsung.
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