LG InnoTek to supply CoF for Galaxy A52 and A72 smartphones

LG InnoTek will manufacture and supply chip on film (CoF) for Samsung’s Galaxy A52 and A72 smartphones, TheElec has learned.

It is the South Korean component maker’s first CoF supply in the tens of millions range for Samsung phones.

LG InnoTek is the exclusive supplier of CoF for Galaxy A52. It will jointly supply the components with Stemco for Galaxy A72. Stemco is a joint venture between Samsung Electro-Mechanics and Toray Industries, with each owning a 30% and 70% stake, respectively.

CoF is used to connect the glass substrate of the display panel to the flexible printed circuit board. Display driver ICs are embedded on top of CoF. The film can be rolled or folded to allow for various product designs.

Samsung uses the component for higher tier models in its Galaxy A series. The company sells around 30 million units of Galaxy A52 and A72 per year. A52 is the more popular model. 

The deal won’t contribute greatly to LG InnoTek’s sales in the short-term. CoF is priced at around 300 to 400 won per unit. The company’s supply of them for Galaxy A52 and A72 will likely contribute around 10 billion won in sales. This will be equal to 0.1% of its sales of 9.54 trillion won last year.

However, as Samsung is expanding its supply of mid-tier smartphones, LG InnoTek’s supply of CoF could increase substantially in the coming years. 

LG Group’s chairman was changed to Koo Kwang-mo in 2018. Koo may also be more keen to expand the group’s collaboration with Samsung, which could benefit LG InnoTek further.

Besides CoF, display driver ICs can be installed on display panels through chip on plastic (CoP) or chip on glass (CoG). Display driver IC are installed in different places and the way the display panel substrate and FPCB are connected differ for each method.

Samsung uses CoP for its flagship smartphones, where the display driver IC are embedded on the polyimide substrate of the OLED panel.

Lower tier Galaxy A models and Galaxy M series use CoG.