According to Digitimes, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and BBK are worried that Apple may monopolise supplies of smartphone-use AMOLED panels from Samsung Display and other Japan-based makers in the future.

To fight against this, they are to work with the China-based flexible panel maker Royole to form a consortium for joint investment in local flexible AMOLED production in 2017. The cunning plan is better than being stuck without components, but might cause a few headaches as they will be effectively creating new production in an area in which they have little experience.   But if they are lucky they could set their own prices, in the same way that Apple twists the arms of its suppliers using its buying power.

China-based smartphone vendor BBK has established an independent subsidiary which will focus on manufacturing panels and BBK's goal for the subsidiary is to expand its monthly capacity to at least 60,000 AMOLED panels from 2017-2019. Royole is expanding its AMOLED capacity to 45,000 units in 2017 and 2018.