Apple Supplier Sharp Confirms New iPhones to Switch From LCD to OLED Displays

[jayducharme]

Hopefully Apple does not use the curved display. It distorts the images at the edges.

Knowing how long it takes for Apple to bring products to market, and how Samsung tends to rush products into development: I wonder if Apple had been working on curved displays for years but never felt they were ready for production, whereas Samsung got wind of that and beat Apple to market.

I too don't see much value in a curved display (outside of an increased ability to break when dropped). But if the rumors are true, maybe Apple has found a compelling use for that design. I'm still having trouble believing that they're going back to an all glass phone, the most fragile product they ever made.

 

[BeSweeet]

"We don't know whether Apple's OLED iPhones will be a hit, but if Apple doesn't walk down this path and transform itself, there will be no innovation. It is a crisis but it is also an opportunity," Tai said.

They'll have to do a lot more than just switching to OLED displays to actually be innovative.

 

[Adithya007]

Definitely they'll be switching to OLED but then, the starting price for the base model 32gb iPhone would be 1050$. (500$ increase) Excluding Tax.
Magical.

 

[coolfactor]

Please don't do that, Apple.
As an Android long time user, I hate OLED with a passion.

Yep, Apple is a couple of years behind in screen burn-in, narrow viewing angles and ho-hum color reproduction.

View attachment 669342 Will be big upgrade from aging lcd

Many people think OLED is better than LCD on all fronts, and that Apple has been stubbornly holding onto LCD for no good reason. But the truth is that OLED tech has evolved greatly over the past few years, and I suspect Apple is only wanting to embrace it once it meets their high standards. Having a cool name ("OLED") is not good enough... the product must live up to the expectations. If OLED was ready for iPhones, we'd have it (cost permitting), as we do on the Watches now.

In the meantime, Apple has the best LCD screen on a mobile phone on the market. That is nothing to take lightly.

 

[djcerla]

Many people think OLED is better than LCD on all fronts, and that Apple has been stubbornly holding onto LCD for no good reason. But the truth is that OLED tech has evolved greatly over the past few years, and I suspect Apple is only wanting to embrace it once it meets their high standards. Having a cool name ("OLED") is not good enough... the product must live up to the expectations. If OLED was ready for iPhones, we'd have it (cost permitting), as we do on the Watches now.

In the meantime, Apple has the best LCD screen on a mobile phone on the market. That is nothing to take lightly.

Agreed, but probably you have not got the sarcasm in my post

 

[Sedulous]

You are wrong - it's innovation. Next up the touch screen MacBook.

/s

Ha ha, yeah. Maybe then Apple will again include in the microfiber cloth.
[doublepost=1477930522][/doublepost]

Many people think OLED is better than LCD on all fronts, and that Apple has been stubbornly holding onto LCD for no good reason. But the truth is that OLED tech has evolved greatly over the past few years, and I suspect Apple is only wanting to embrace it once it meets their high standards. Having a cool name ("OLED") is not good enough... the product must live up to the expectations. If OLED was ready for iPhones, we'd have it (cost permitting), as we do on the Watches now.

In the meantime, Apple has the best LCD screen on a mobile phone on the market. That is nothing to take lightly.

Yep, OLED is ideal for a phone. OLED is nowhere near as bright as LED and OLED does suffer from burn-in. Don't get me wrong, OLED is great for TV, but it isn't the best for something you use outdoors and often displays static images (i.e. Homescreen).

 

[Thunderhawks]

We were expecting this weren't we?

Apple copying SAMSUNG?

YES!

 

[LordQ]

Only for the iPhone 8 Plus Pro.

 

[Superhappytree]

We've been wanting an OLED iPhone for years. Now we have this article it's "OLED is terrible! Please stick to LCD Apple". They have to do something considering the competition. I think this is just a place holder to hush those who say "LOL Apple still doesn't have OLED my S7 is better and has way deeper blacks" etc. until MicroLED is fully ready in 2018.

 

[err404]

Some food for thought. OLED as a tech is susceptible to screen burn in. To minimize this manufacturers have implicated pentile sub pixel layouts in order to put less stress on the shorter live colors. Unfortunately pentile hurts the quality of the display, forcing the use of far higher DPI to obtain comparable results. This in turn requires more RAM and GPU performance to obtain comparable results. The advantages of OLED are questionable when you compare them side by side with the latest LCD screens. They provide slightly better blacks and the potential for always on notifications, but this comes at the cost of performance and battery.

 

[1applerules1]

How about a headphone jack ?

What headphone jack? They got rid of it and it's never coming back.

 

[DUIduckSAUCE]

Please don't do that, Apple.
As an Android long time user, I hate OLED with a passion.

You must not be using a Sammy panel

 

[DanTheAppleMan]

Everyone, earlier this year: "Can't believe Apple is still using old LCD displays! OLED is far superior; they're so behind."
Everyone, today: "OLED is terrible Apple pls don't do this Steve Jobs is turning in his grave."

 

[humanresources]

Apple better make all the iPhone models a wrap around screen. It shouldn't just be the high end model. WTF. Why are they making a high end model? That means app adoption for it would be low. Meaning not all apps will try to build it for the wrap around screen

 

[H2SO4]

Boy, I have a feeling this post will contain the usually Apple complaints!

What it should contain are those that slated OLED. It won’t of course……...

 

[err404]

Don't worry about high/low end models yet. It is far to early for that. Remember last year when people were claiming that the 7 would have 3 versions?

 

[8281]

Please don't do that, Apple.
As an Android long time user, I hate OLED with a passion.

Really? Why? I like my S7s screen better than my iPhone.

 

[Analog Kid]

I'm generally not a fan of "if Steve were here" comments, but I will say that if Steve were here the title of this article would start "Former Apple supplier..."

Good. Holding onto my 5S for one more year and passing on the 7 was the right move.

You and me both. I couldn't care less bout OLED, but it's the glass front and back that I'm hoping for. Every day I put my 5 in my pocket and softly whisper "you can make it, baby...".
[doublepost=1477940570][/doublepost]

Are you referring to this?
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...er-marks-major-upgrade-over-iphone-6.1998415/

If so, it doesn't say what you think it does. Regardless, screen tech is to the point now where lcd or oled really doesn't matter from a viewing perspective. They're going to look good. Under the hood efficiency is what the manufacturers want. That's why Apple is finally looking at oled and mled.

Given the right software the viewing quality might be about the same based on measurements-- my only real exposure to OLED are Samsung phones in the shop set to "look at my colors!" mode and my Apple Watch which I find disturbingly over saturated. If Apple changes over though, I'm sure they're confident it can manage the same quality of color reproduction.

I think LCD still has a power efficiency advantage if more than a small portion of the screen is lit up (for LCD power is the same for the same backlight brightness, for OLED it is per lit pixel...). I think the real benefits Apple might want from OLED are thinness and flexibility. We might find more of iOS running in dark mode though.

 

[BreadofWonder]

Yep, Apple is a couple of years behind in screen burn-in, narrow viewing angles and ho-hum color reproduction.

OLED has some of the best viewing angles and, if calibrated, just as good color reproduction as an LCD. The burn-in and overall longevity is a serious concern, though.

 

[x-evil-x]

Id rather have a design like this to the curved edge. But id rather have the bottom be full screen and have a little top area for the camera. Don't think they can build a camera into the actual screen and make it look right. The second picture is the phone flipped over.

 

[WRChris]

You are wrong - it's innovation. Next up the touch screen MacBook.

/s

You mean what the iPad should have been since the air 2?

 

[sc4rf4c3]

Pls. Apple bring in OLED and take my money. People b****ing about OLED are the same people that complained about LTE, 4" screen, 4.7" screen, antenna lines, 5.5" screen, no headphone jack, etc. and yet continue to buy iPhone.

 

[44267547]

Couple years behind schedule!

Maybe at not as current as Samsungs displays, but allow Apple to do something special with the display that we haven't seen yet. Slow and steady.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

U.S. manufacturing! Well we shall see, i'm all for that!

 

[Judas1]

OLED is a better screen technology. I'm waiting for an OLED HDTV to be cheap enough for me to get. Those clinging to LCD don't know what they're missing and when Apple adopts it, they're cry it's the greatest thing ever, though years too late.