[THE INVESTOR] Chinese tech giant Xiaomi recently signed an OLED supply deal with Samsung Display for its flagship smartphone next year, according to The Bell on July 17.

The report said Samsung will supply a 6.01-inch rigid OLED panel for Xiaomi, with the first shipment starting from December. About 1 million units will be shipped in the first month, followed by another 2.2 million units in the next month. 

Xiaomi had originally planned to use a 5.49-inch, higher-end flexible OLED panel from LG Display but the deal reportedly fell apart as the display maker’s new plant operation was being delayed.

The report said LG Display’s new plant, called E5, is expected to start operations in August, about three months later than planned, due largely to the ongoing work for upgrading the panel resolution from FHD to QHD.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)