iPhones Expected to Have OLED Displays Starting in 2018

[MacRumors]

Apple plans to switch to OLED displays for iPhones starting in 2018, according to Japanese website Nikkei. The report claims Apple has notified its suppliers about its future plans, with LG Display already planning capacity upgrades for high-volume OLED display production.

LG Display and Samsung Electronics will likely share a large portion of the OLED panel production for future iPhones, according to the report. Apple's shift to OLED displays could have "major implications" for Apple's current LCD display suppliers Sharp and Japan Display, the latter of which relies on Apple for 30% of its business.

Samsung Electronics is currently the only company that can reliably mass-produce OLED smartphone screens. LG Display has a track record for producing OLEDs for television screens. Given this, the two companies will likely supply a large portion of Apple's displays. [...]

Apple's shift to OLED displays will have major implications for two Japanese suppliers -- Sharp, which is scrambling to rebuild its faltering operations, and Japan Display, which relies on the computing giant for 30% of its business.

Due to the high volume of iPhones that Apple ships, and the technical challenges of producing OLED displays, the report claims the company will likely continue to sell iPhones with LCD screens alongside models with new OLED displays.

Samsung's popular Galaxy-branded smartphones are equipped with AMOLED displays, as is the Apple Watch, but iPhones have always had LCD displays since the original model launched over eight years ago.

OLED displays can provide sharper images and brighter colors compared to LCD displays, but generally have a shorter lifespan and higher manufacturing costs. Apple has reportedly been "consulting with display makers" about OLED technology to eliminate potential drawbacks.

OLEDs are known for offering sharper images and colors than the conventional liquid crystal displays used in cellphones since the 1990s, as well as for their power-saving capacity. The screens can also be bent and rounded to a certain degree, giving companies greater flexibility when designing devices.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently noted that Apple is unlikely to adopt AMOLED displays for iPhones for at least three years, claiming that its main supplier Foxconn is preparing to invest in advanced TFT-LCD production lines in China for mass production in 2018.

Article Link: iPhones Expected to Have OLED Displays Starting in 2018

 

[Menopause]

Innovation™. The Future is Coming.

 

[BarmyGnome]

Finally.

 

[nikicampos]

Can't wait for 2018..

This rumor can't be real, why wait 2 years to use and old technology, pretty sure that Apple will use a newer tech in two years.

 

[rmbpuser]

In time for iPhone 8s?

 

[modit]

Remember back in the day when the iPhone was cutting edge?

This doesn't help.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Oh great... In 2018 we'll have a new "displaygate" involving LG and Samsung with people going crazy because they ended up with the wrong brand of display.

 

[whiteboytrash]

I have to wait to 2018 to find out if this rumor is true!!!!????

 

[entropi]

I don't want OLED. My 6S plus screen is good enough and I prefer the longer lifespan.

 

[iamMacPerson]

Yeah sure... Just like the TV set was always set 2+ years in the future and kept getting pushed. I'll believe it when I see it. I love OLED displays, but I don't believe it.

 

[iapplelove]

I'm waiting for the day when they drop the numbers and just call it iPhone.

 

[NT1440]

*waits for the people that think every LCD is the same and every OLED technology is the same to say that this should have been done years ago*

Ah, I see I'm late.

 

[Alenore]

But... Will it have sapphire glass ?

 

[DTphonehome]

I have to wait to 2018 to find out if this rumor is true!!!!????

Just go about your life. It really doesn't matter.

 

[goobot]

I don't want OLED. My 6S plus screen is good enough and I prefer the longer lifespan.

They said they are looking to fix those problems which is why it wouldn't be till 2018. Regardless, if the screen lasts 10 years instead of 20 it's pretty irrelevant in a phone. Do keep in mind I have no idea what the life times of each technology is. I'm simply saying if it last the life of the device it really doesn't matter.

 

[Oblivious.Robot]

Thanks, iPhone 8 fits right in my upgrade cycle.
So hyped for this!

 

[macnewbie91]

More vibrant colors, less eye-strain in the dark, and slightly more energy efficient due to the individual pixels shutting off when they're supposed to be the color black.

AMOLED is the way to go. LCD is just not as good.

 

[modit]

Why not toss in Liquid Metal 2018 to this rumour pile?

 

[Dydegu]

The absence of 16GB remarks so far in this thread has me worried...

 

[koulmj]

In 2018 I'll be able to upgrade!

 

[CarpalMac]

2+ years away? That's like 14 tech years....

 

[modit]

The absence of 16GB remarks so far in this thread has me worried...

I have it on good authority that the 16GB capacity is banned in the year 2017.

 

[AppleFan91]

So roughly the iPhone 8? Wow so the 7 and 7S keep the same display tech? Interesting, not bad or good, just interesting.

 

[NT1440]

So roughly the iPhone 8? Wow so the 7 and 7S keep the same display tech? Interesting, not bad or good, just interesting.

I don't think you can call a curved display the same display.

 

[Atomic Walrus]

Samsung's AMOLED screens are a PWM nightmare. Their flicker pattern includes drops to zero brightness at most settings, and at many brightness levels it isn't even fast enough to mask the flicker..
LG's TV panels are PWM-free like Apple's current LED backlights (Apple is one of the few companies that insists on no-flicker LEDs BTW). It's hard to say what will happen at the mobile scale though; The PWM of Samsung's AMOLED is used to reduce power consumption.