Editor's Note: We have updated this story to reflect that Apple says the ITC ruling over Chinese display maker BOE. will not affect the iPhone We have included a full statement from Apple below.
Updated story: A new preliminary ruling from the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) lead to concerns certain iPhone 15, iPhone 16, and possibly even iPhone 17 models could be under threat.
However, Apple has confirmed this case has no bearing on the company's devices and won't cause any impact on consumers. An Apple spokesperson said: "Apple is not a party to this case, and the order has no impact on any Apple products.”
The initial case, as reported by ET News, centers on the Chinese display maker BOE, which has been producing OLED displays for the iPhone since 2021.
In the preliminary ruling, the ITC states that BOE, alongside several of its subsidiaries, had “violated subsection (a)(1)(A)(i) of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, in the importation into the United States, or in the sale of certain organic light-emitting diode display modules and components thereof by reason of misappropriation of trade secrets,” namely those belonging to Samsung.
As part of the ruling, the ITC recommends implementing both a restricted exclusion order and a cease and desist order against BOE.
The former of these orders would block the company from importing infringing OLED panels into the U.S., while the latter would mean that BOE could not sell or supply its existing stock to U.S. assemblers.
And while Apple does source displays from BOE (alongside Samsung and LG) the company has confirmed to Tom's Guide no iPhones are affected by the ban.
Will this affect iPhones sold in China?
We have seen in a recent X post from Junkanlosreve that Apple has authorized BOE to produce LTPO displays for Chinese versions of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. However, it appears the same won’t be true in other countries due to weak LTPO performance benchmarks.
If that's accurate, it could be the case there's some consequence for iPhones models in the Chinese market, if Apple decides it wants to limit its relationship with BOE in light of this, but that would only be speculation at this stage. And at any rate, what happens in China has nothing to do with the ITC's ruling for U.S. imports.
Of course, this is also only a preliminary ruling as well. We will also have to wait for the final decision on the matter, which is expected in November. Once that is made, President Trump will have sixty days to either veto or approve the commission's ruling.
