The Galaxy S27 won't use a cheaper screen after all, and that's bad news

We first heard rumors a few weeks ago that the base Samsung Galaxy S27 could use a screen from Chinese manufacturer BOE. This would mark the first time Samsung used a third-party display on a Galaxy S phone, after years of using in-house screens. However, it sounds like it could be business as usual after all.

ET News reports (h/t: SammyGuru) that a potential deal for BOE to supply screens for the base Galaxy S27 has fallen through, citing industry sources.

“BOE has halted development of the Galaxy S27 OLED,” an unnamed “industry insider” told the outlet.

We first heard about the possibility of Samsung using BOE screens on the base Galaxy S27 back in May. This was quickly followed by Samsung apparently sending a Request For Information (RFI) to BOE regarding these displays. These rumors persisted through Samsung mobile chief TM Roh’s visit to BOE in China a few days ago. Unfortunately, BOE has evidently terminated this project.

ET News wasn’t able to confirm a specific reason for the deal’s cancellation, but explained that there was “resistance” within Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display. The outlet added that it was difficult for Samsung Display to accept that its key partner and parent company would use screens from a rival firm. In saying so, Samsung already uses screens from rival companies on its cheaper phones.

BOE has traditionally lagged behind Samsung in terms of display quality on high-end devices. However, Samsung’s base and Plus flagships don’t offer cutting-edge screens to begin with, so quality concerns are an unlikely reason for the deal’s cancellation.

It’s also believed that BOE offers cheaper screens than Samsung Display. This would’ve helped Samsung fight price hikes, especially as RAM and storage costs skyrocket. A cheaper screen would’ve also been particularly useful ahead of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro launch, as it’s believed this chip will see a massive price increase compared to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. In other words, don’t be surprised if the base Galaxy S27 is more expensive.