BoE and Samsung Electronics part ways

Some recent pieces of information suggest that South Korean tech giant Samsung and BOE have parted ways. Reportedly, BOE is no longer a part of Samsung’s supplier list. BOE is a China-based display manufacturer. In the first quarter of this year, the company supplied 10% of Samsung’s TV panels. However, in the third quarter of this year, the company was removed from the supply chain list by the company’s Device eXperience (DX) division.

In addition, it’s thought that Samsung Electronics plans to break away from BOE in the medium to long run. This move by Samsung has impacted the growth of BOE since the company reported a reduced market share in Q3 2023. According to market analysts, the recent decision by Samsung is a reflection of the legal disputes between the two companies.

Things are not good for BOE

Samsung Display initiated an ITC inquiry at the start of the year over Chinese wholesalers selling “cloned” OLED panels that were produced with pirated patents and technologies. Samsung didn’t specifically target BOE, but as the probe progressed, the ITC started to look at the activities of the Chinese panel manufacturer. In response to this, several lawsuits were filed by BOE against different Samsung branches in China.

Earlier this month, the South Korean tech giant targeted BOE for the first time by filing an ITC complaint. Apart from this, the company wants to strengthen its relations with suppliers like AUO, LG, and Sharp, according to the Business Korea report, citing some industry sources. Samsung Electronics probably believed its supply chain was being put in an excessively unstable and unpredictable scenario by the dispute between BOE and the Display arm.