2027 iPhone Air Could Debut Power-Saving LTPO3 OLED Display

[MacRumors]

Apple is considering introducing displays that use a lot less battery power in its iPhone lineup starting in 2027, according to a new report from The Elec.

According to the Korean-language report, the technology would involve upgrading Apple's current LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) OLED displays by incorporating oxide semiconductors in both switching and drive transistors.

Every iPhone screen has millions of tiny switches that control each pixel. Right now, Apple uses two different types of these switches: some are power-efficient but slow, while others are fast but power-hungry.

Apple's current plan has this year's iPhone 17 series using low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LPTO2) displays across the lineup, which would continue to use a mix of both switch types. But by 2027, Apple might replace more of the power-hungry switches with efficient ones.

The benefit of moving the drive transistors to oxide would be much better battery life when the iPhone screen runs at low refresh rates, such as 1Hz when it's showing the always-on display with just the time and notifications. The downside is that the more efficient oxide switches respond slower, so Apple would somehow have to balance performance with efficiency.

The Elec suggests Apple will likely debut this advanced LTPO technology – sometimes called "LTPO3" – in a 2027 version of the upcoming iPhone 17 Air.

Since thinner phones have less room for big batteries, squeezing every bit of efficiency from the screen is crucial. Therefore, the iPhone Pro models, which are thicker and can fit larger batteries, probably won't get the new display tech right away. In other words, Apple views the power savings as more critical for ultra-thin devices.

Apple has already tested this approach with the Apple Watch Series 10, which uses the more efficient LPTO3 display technology. This has likely given Apple the confidence to scale the technology to iPhone-sized displays.

The report suggests Samsung and LG will manufacture these next-generation displays, though both companies will need to invest in new equipment. LG faces the bigger challenge, since it produces fewer OLED screens overall compared to Samsung.

Apple reportedly plans to make a final decision on adopting the new display architecture for at least one model in its 2027 iPhone lineup by Q3 2025, giving suppliers roughly two years to prepare for potential mass production.

Article Link: 2027 iPhone Air Could Debut Power-Saving LTPO3 OLED Display

 

[Rychiar]

Meanwhile all talks of microoled gone😭 how is it still not affordable even in tiny watch screens?

 

[maxolson]

Surely the Air is just a stop gap product before the Regular and Pro 17s are thin too? I'd bet by 2027/28 this product probably doesn't exist and is subsumed by the other two models.

 

[klasma]

LPTO 3.0 displays have been used in Android smartphones for over two years. It’s not clear if this is anything different.

 

[klasma]

Surely the Air is just a stop gap product before the Regular and Pro 17s are thin too? I'd bet by 2027/28 this product probably doesn't exist and is subsumed by the other two models.

I wouldn't expect that. The regular has less space for the battery, and the Pros need the thickness for their cameras, besides using more power. And the Air will have comparatively poorer battery life, similar to the mini.

 

[klasma]

Meanwhile all talks of microoled gone😭 how is it still not affordable even in tiny watch screens?

You mean micro-LED. Micro-OLED is what's on the Vision Pro. Sometimes manufacturing just isn’t economically viable. Some stuff works and some just doesn't, technology isn't magic.

 

[johannnn]

I'd bet by 2027/28 this product probably doesn't exist

lol you think the Pro will be thin 2027? Keep dreaming

The Air is expected to have really ****** battery. That’s not really what the Pro model is about

 

[Theninjagecko]

If this thing has rounded edges it will be the first time I have an apple phone since the Iphone 8. The current sharp edged design was so awful to hold in the hand and created such a large phone when cased I actually went to android and stayed there.

 

[maxolson]

lol you think the Pro will be thin 2027? Keep dreaming

The Air is expected to have really ****** battery. That’s not really what the Pro model is about

I meant the regular model will be thin. So it's just the regular model and the Pro.

 

[Yimbaz]

I meant the regular model will be thin. So it's just the regular model and the Pro.

The Air will be the "regular model." Like they do with MacBooks. It'll be iPhone Air and iPhone Pro, each in two sizes.

 

[zombierunner]

iPhone air like the mini will be replaced with something else once they find out no one buys them

 

[nottorp]

Meanwhile, they are putting out that "AR" interface that guarantees there won't be a single black pixel on the screen. Wasn't one of OLED's advantages that off pixels consume no power?

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Surely the Air is just a stop gap product before the Regular and Pro 17s are thin too? I'd bet by 2027/28 this product probably doesn't exist and is subsumed by the other two models.

It’s definitely not a stopgap product, if anything it’s here to replace the base iPhone eventually.
Think of how the MacBook Air and iPad Air fit into their respective product lineups.
That will be how the iPhone air fits into its lineup as well.

 

[xxFoxtail]

Meanwhile, they are putting out that "AR" interface that guarantees there won't be a single black pixel on the screen. Wasn't one of OLED's advantages that off pixels consume no power?

What do you mean AR interface? Is that augmented reality? Seems like that would be a battery killer.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

What do you mean AR interface? Is that augmented reality? Seems like that would be a battery killer.

I think they are trying to crack a joke about liquid glass, but failing.
Liquid glass is not an AR interface, and there’s also still a dark mode

 

[mashdots]

if apple can keep battery life comparable to the regular iphone, it will sell. Apple has the money — if they really wanted to spice things up and pull ahead of the competition they should bring in silicon carbide batteries and make their phones last longer with a similar form factor.

 

[turbineseaplane]

LPTO 3.0 displays have been used in Android smartphones for over two years. It’s not clear if this is anything different.

"Only Apple" can do it like this though...

(eye roll ... as the eye roll emoji isn't adequate for a "yay Apple!" eye roll)

 

[MayaUser]

Audi just released A5/A6 with matrix micro led tech and Apple still struggling

 

[GioGiusi]

2025 and 2026 iPhone Air "could" too. But that's too much for 1 year under Tim Cook.

 

[GioGiusi]

if apple can keep battery life comparable to the regular iphone, it will sell. Apple has the money — if they really wanted to spice things up and pull ahead of the competition they should bring in silicon carbide batteries and make their phones last longer with a similar form factor.

From the rumors, that's what they've done. The battery is expected to be a high density 2800mAh battery. That is around 15% more efficient than the previous type of battery. Add another 10-15% efficiency improvement from the A19 chip, and you have a capacity roughly equivalent to the standard iPhone 16.

 

[SactoGuy18]

I also think the second-generation iPhone 18 Air may get new carbon-silicon batteries, too. That could boost the mAh capacity to around 4,000 and that plus the new display could mean battery life per charge akin to the current iPhone 16 Plus.

 

[now i see it]

lower frequency flickering

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I also think the second-generation iPhone 18 Air may get new carbon-silicon batteries, too. That could boost the mAh capacity to around 4,000 and that plus the new display could mean battery life per charge akin to the current iPhone 16 Plus.

That’s already rumored for the first generation.
A “high density” (meaning silicon) 2800 mAh battery.
The current 16 has a 3200 mAh battery.
So they are using the higher density to get the same amount of battery life out of a smaller battery.

 

[darngooddesign]

Surely the Air is just a stop gap product before the Regular and Pro 17s are thin too? I'd bet by 2027/28 this product probably doesn't exist and is subsumed by the other two models.

The Air is a testbed for the folding iPhoneBook which will be two of them.

 

[NT1440]

Meanwhile all talks of microoled gone😭 how is it still not affordable even in tiny watch screens?

It’s absurdly hard to manufacture. I think they use vapor application to place the pixels?