Apple Aims to Make Every iPhone With an OLED Display by 2019

[5105973]

There are going to be so many 180s on this forum when Apple finally decide to mimic Samsung tech.

I already own and love Samsung phones. Note 7 was gorgeous. But I'm one of those odd folks who actually prefers my iPhone 7 Plus display to even the most gorgeous OLED displays...well, not for VR purposes...which is a whole different matter. But for 98% of what I need to do on a smart phone form factor, I find the LCD display tends to fatigue my eyes far less than my AMOLED displays. And there were flaws on AMOLED, too.

My husband got one with a horrid Aqua tint and it was not capable of going very bright. That was on his first Note 7. I've noticed slight variances among the 9 Samsungs we had in the space of a few months (as a result of the Note 7 double recalls) that would drive some members of this forum to weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I recognize that OLED is the future. I just don't think that future is going to be a utopian one right off the bat.

 

[H2SO4]

I already own and love Samsung phones. Note 7 was gorgeous. But I'm one of those odd folks who actually prefers my iPhone 7 Plus display to even the most gorgeous OLED displays...well, not for VR purposes...which is a whole different matter. But for 98% of what I need to do on a smart phone form factor, I find the LCD display tends to fatigue my eyes far less than my AMOLED displays. And there were flaws on AMOLED, too.

My husband got one with a horrid Aqua tint and it was not capable of going very bright. That was on his first Note 7. I've noticed slight variances among the 9 Samsungs we had in the space of a few months (as a result of the Note 7 double recalls) that would drive some members of this forum to weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I recognize that OLED is the future. I just don't think that future is going to be a utopian one right off the bat.

That’s fine, each to their own, it’s just that I’ve seen a lot of back-pedalling around here.
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I don't know about this. Although I am a bit of a fanboy, I have always seen the next best hardware part or material to be a logical step for any of the companies. Apple, Samsung, whoever...

What I would have an issue with is if Apple copies the curved edge message notifier without some acknowledgement or license fee to Samsung (IF they copyrighted or patented that). One is the natural advancement of tech, the other is a hypocritical copying of a well established feature.

I’m more speaking of those who think OLED is rubbish. Until the keynote that is…………...

 

[satchmo]

Sorry, I think you mean iPhone 6sss and iPhone 6sss Plus

More like iPhone 6ass!

 

[blairh]

Maybe Apple will go thinner for the iPhone 7S/7S Plus, hence making the fat bezels not look so dated for 2 more years. And then in 2019 we have OLED across the board. Doubtful but just a thought.

 

[manu chao]

You won't be losing and more likely gaining - right now the 5.5 has about 5'' of usable screen - you don't believe me take a ruler and measure it - the 5.5 has most of chin and wasted space of any modern phone right now.

Ahm, the 5.5" of the iPhone Plus refers to the actual screen, not the entire phone. The chin is not part of the 5.5" measurement. If you include the chin and top area, the front surface of the phone is 158.2 mm (6.23 in) x 77.9 mm (3.07 in), meaning it has a diagonal of 6.95" (176.3 mm), ignoring for a moment that the corners are rounded.

The numbers for the non-Plus phone are: 138.3 mm (5.44 in) x 67.1 mm (2.64 in) with a diagonal of 153.7 mm (6.05"). And for the sake of completeness, for the SE: 123.8 mm (4.87 in) x 58.6 mm (2.31 in) -> 137.0 mm (5.39").

 

[mikecorp]

by 2019, I will have most likely different brand.

 

[manu chao]

Let's spell this out:
2017: iPhone SE: LCD, iPhone 7/7 Plus: LCD, iPhone 7s/7s Plus: LCD, iPhone 8: OLED
2018: iPhone SE: LCD, iPhone 7s/7s Plus: LCD, iPhone 8s/8s Plus: OLED
2019: iPhone 8s/8s Plus: OLED, iPhone 9/9 Plus OLED

If the SE got an update after 24 months on the market in spring 2018, but would be discontinued in 2019, that would be odd. Will the SE get an update after less than 24 months? Or will it be discontinued in 2019 after 36 months? Or will there be a completely new 4" phone (or 4.4" if the same area gain as in going from 4.7" to 5.15" happens) with OLED in 2018?

 

[asiga]

Nice to know, but when is the March event? I'm holding a purchase just because of that event (quite likely the event won't change my decision, as my recent experience with Apple events is that you wait for something new or updated just to realize the event didn't announce anything relevant, but anyway, considering Apple prices, better wait, just in case).

 

[Thunderhawks]

No matter the tech they use, I hope they don't use the 'Pro' moniker. Pro has been devalued so much it no longer connotes professional. It's just marketing speak now. I mean seriously, what would make a phone 'Pro'?

That you can't upgrade or connect anything without dongles!

 

[thekeyring]

Aaaaaaaand... nobody cares. I don't say that dismissively. The vast majority of the consuming public doesn't care about SoC's, core count, or any of the technical gobbledygook. Why? None of it is customer facing. The OEM's know it well. Why do you think companies spend inordinate amounts of money on ads for their cameras, screens, apps, etc.? Because that's what consumers care about.

It's also why Apple make sure people know about new emojis. They get stick here for it, but it's an easy way to make sure consumers are on the latest & most secure iOS version.

 

[Jago]

"Apple plans to introduce OLED panels to all iPhone models by 2019. This year's introduction accounted for only 40%, but next year it is expected to double to 80% and 100% next year."

I am not aware of any this year's OLED panel introduction by Apple that has actually happened.
There's a fitting saying in Russian: "Don't try to skin a bear you haven't actually shot dead yet".

 

[dtich]

Aaaaaaaand... nobody cares. I don't say that dismissively. The vast majority of the consuming public doesn't care about SoC's, core count, or any of the technical gobbledygook. Why? None of it is customer facing. The OEM's know it well. Why do you think companies spend inordinate amounts of money on ads for their cameras, screens, apps, etc.? Because that's what consumers care about.

The only people who care about the inside tech are the people who don't matter from a consuming perspective: tech geeks and tech press. It's the same on the Android side regarding "pure Android". Nobody cares, 'cept the reviewers and the vocal geek minority... while the consumers actually spend money on Samsung's with Touchwiz.

Face it, we (some of us) care about stuff that gets the side eye in public. Superior hardware/software integrated optimization never sold a product. Never will.

ugh. yeah? so?

apple leads on camera, screen and apps, too.

sure, throw some stupid numbers at me, try to argue. the fact remains: apple's cameras, screens and apps are all industry-leading in terms of customer satisfaction and real world performance.

to say apple lags behind samsung in display tech is ludicrous. do you not understand that it is largely BECAUSE of apple that samsung has the industry-leading tech that it does? this is the razor's edge dance that apple and samsung do, apple being one of their biggest clients and responsible for pushing them in all kinds of new directions, display and soc - wise. you've got the cart before the horse, buddy.

the words 'superior hardware/software integration optimization' never did sell a product, probably true; but the FACT of superior hardware/software integration [and] optimization is responsible for the best-selling, industry-leading, landscape-changing product that is the iPhone. so. yeah. it does sell some ****. get it straight.

 

[Dave245]

I'm very intrigued to see what this function row will be like. I hope it's like the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro and it changes depending what app your using.
The iPhone 8 will be a big upgrade, Apple will probably break sales records and the people who have been complaining on these forums will most likely run out and by one.

 

[MrGuder]

What makes OLED better than the current iPhones?

 

[kemal]

Has the (AM)OLED burn in problem been solved? Can't wait for Apple to explain away that new feature.

 

[oliversl]

But LCD is way better than OLED.

 

[ChrisCW11]

Just do it, stop talking about it. iPhone could be the most brilliant phone ever if Apple just applied the innovations they claim to be doing in the future.

Even for Apple, why such a long switch over to OLED? Been around for a while now and other companies easily transitioned to OLED within a generation or two of product. No prolonged waffling about what screen technology to use, they just did it.

While I know microLED is the cutting edge, Apple has NEVER implemented cutting-edge in a product until it has proven itself over years, like the slow eventual transition to OLED.

It makes total sense for Apple to finally implement OLED after such a long evaluation period, it makes no sense for them to have even considered microLED within a product released in the next 2 years.

 

[kdarling]

What makes OLED better than the current iPhones?

From a phone design standpoint, OLED displays are thinner and lighter than LCD. Also more flexible (and thus less susceptible to damage as well).

Has the (AM)OLED burn in problem been solved? Can't wait for Apple to explain away that new feature.

Hmm. It really should be called burn-out, since it's about blue LEDs fading faster.

In any case, these days it only usually happens if you keep your brightness to store demo levels for a long time and show the same screen all the time. Automatic brightness helps avoid it for a long time.

Moreover, not only have blue LED lifetimes dramatically improved, but engineers have devised clever ways of compensating for eventual fade. For instance, manufacturers now often make the blue LEDs larger than necessary, so that their output can start out low and later be boosted as time passes.

 

[PlainviewX]

Labeling a phone a "Pro" would be lolz to the highest degree if Apple choose to do so.

 

[stevemiller]

Just to clarify on this... for this 2019 goal, do we think they mean "every iPhone being made" or "every new model being introduced"?

I mean, if they are still introducing lcd models in 2018 that'd be kinda junky... but if the gradual rollout is just to account for the winding down production of the SE and 7S(?) during that period, it feels more reasonable.

 

[doelcm82]

Sorry, I think you mean iPhone 6sss and iPhone 6sss Plus

At least you're sorry.

 

[NT1440]

Hmm. It really should be called burn-out, since it's about blue LEDs fading faster.

In any case, it usually only happens if you keep your brightness to store demo levels for a long time. Automatic brightness usually avoids it.

Moreover, not only have blue LED lifetimes improved, but engineers have devised clever ways of compensating. For instance, manufacturers now often make the blue LEDs larger than necessary, so that their output can start out low and later be boosted as time passes.

THIS. Thank you! Some people don't understand that every type of display have multiple types (For LCD you've got things like IGZO, TFT, etc.). OLED as a category can't be said to be better than any other display type, but instead specific types of OLED have specific characteristics.

Apple hasn't gone OLED because they don't feel the tech is quite there yet for their aims. Which is why they've been researching ways to get around the pitfalls they care about:

http://www.patentlyapple.com/patent...ay-for-possible-use-on-a-future-iphone-1.html

http://www.patentlyapple.com/patent...ng-development-of-next-gen-oled-displays.html

 

[S14Drvr]

There are going to be so many 180s on this forum when Apple finally decide to mimic Samsung tech.

It's funny how people equate being FIRST with anything makes them the best. Ask Samsung how thats worked out for them. I First heard about the apple watch over a year before it launched. All the sudden Samsung rushes a watch out and claims first to the market. It was DOA. Do you honestly think Apple couldn't have used the newer tech if it wanted too? They wait until prices level off and tech is refined before jumping in the pool head first without checking the depth. Their theory and approach has paid off in spades.

 

[DotCom2]

Labeling a phone a "Pro" would be lolz to the highest degree if Apple choose to do so.

Did you say that about the iPad Pro's as well?

 

[jntdroid]

This is unfortunate. I know OLED is thinner, etc. But it also brings in screen inconsistencies that have plagued even the latest/greatest from Samsung. I'm also absolutely convinced there are zero battery life benefits to it.