Samsung may not be forced to resort to BOE OLED panels for the upcoming Galaxy S27 series, but this does not mean that the company will necessarily decide to do without the Chinese manufacturer.
This is the picture that emerges from the latest rumors: the decision would not be tied to a lack of internal alternatives, but to the desire to protect profit margins during the critical situation the tech world is facing.
Samsung could avoid BOE, but may not want to do so
In the past weeks there was talk of the possibility that Samsung would introduce BOE-produced OLED panels on some variants of the Galaxy S27 lineup. According to the source, the reason would be purely economic: BOE would have offered its displays at a price about $5 cheaper per unit than those from Samsung Display.
Although the savings may seem limited, across millions of smartphones produced it would represent a substantial reduction in costs. A prospect that makes even more sense considering the sharp rise in prices of components such as RAM and storage due to the memory crisis.
The latest rumor, however, is another: Samsung would not be obliged to rely on BOE. The company could continue to use exclusively panels made by Samsung Display, thus keeping the perceived quality of its high-end smartphones unchanged.
The final choice will depend on costs
This, however, does not mean that Samsung will automatically abandon BOE. According to the source, the company’s mobile division continues to strongly focus on cost optimization in production, a strategy that has become even more important due to the rise in component prices.
The potential introduction of BOE panels, therefore, would not be tied to production problems or the impossibility of using Samsung Display displays, but to an economic assessment.
According to the rumors, the decision could be taken soon. TM Roh, head of Samsung’s mobile division, is expected to travel to China by the end of the month to meet BOE’s executives and discuss a possible agreement.
If the savings obtained are deemed sufficiently advantageous, Samsung could still decide to bet on the Chinese manufacturer.
In any case, the company should limit the use of BOE panels exclusively to the Galaxy S27 “base”, while continuing to rely on displays produced by Samsung Display for the S27+ and S27 Ultra.
At the moment, however, there is no official confirmation and it remains to be seen what the company’s final decision will be ahead of the debut of the series (due January/February 2027).
