Japan Display Planning Mass Production of OLED Displays for iPhones in Early 2018

[OneZweiThree]

I have a question regarding OLED. I heard, that their lifespan is relatively short, compared to LCD and that you can tell a 2 year old display pretty easily apart from a new one. Or another user noted, that he could easily tell the difference from his display (i believe it was a lumia) to one in a store model (which ran 24/7 for a few weeks/months).
With people happily now using iPhone 5s, that are in use since 2012, wouldn`t that be a major issue for the resale value of iphones?

Maybe someone can answer my question.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I wish I can compare displays. For example, when I take a picture of something, it looks accurate to what I see. Seems like a petty thing to worry about.

 

[jayducharme]

More catchup from Apple.

Not really. Apple has been experimenting with OLEDs for years. The Watch has them. The technology just currently isn't where Apple wants it to be for inclusion on iPhones. I assume that if and when iPhones do have OLEDs, significant improvements will have been made to the current drawbacks.

 

[Max(IT)]

Im not in an hurry to have an OLED display on my iPhone .....

 

[tennisproha]

3 years in technology is like 20 human years for a dog. It's of no interest what will be by then.

That's also 3 years for a dog.

 

[hofer]

Apple supplier Japan Display plans to begin mass production of OLED displays for future iPhones in spring 2018, according to Japanese website Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun [Google Translate] (via GforGames).

Japan Display executives are reportedly in negotiations with Apple about securing OLED orders for future iPhones, in an effort to compete with existing OLED panel suppliers Samsung Electronics and LG Display.

Japan Display, a joint venture formed in 2012 by Hitachi, Sony and Toshiba, is one of two major LCD display suppliers for current iPhones alongside rival Japanese company Sharp. Apple has used LCD panels for iPhones since the original model launched in 2007.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported last month that iPhones are unlikely to have OLED displays for at least the next three years, and Japanese website Nikkei confirmed that Apple plans to switch to OLED displays for iPhones starting in 2018. Apple may continue to offer some iPhone models with LCD displays to fulfill demand.

OLED displays can provide sharper images, better color accuracy and brighter colors compared to LCD displays, but the technology generally has a shorter lifespan and higher manufacturing costs. Samsung's popular Galaxy-branded smartphones are equipped with AMOLED displays, as is the Apple Watch.

Should these supply chain rumors prove true, the so-called "iPhone 8" could be released in late 2018 as Apple's first smartphone equipped with an OLED display, based on the company's current naming and release cycle.

Article Link: Japan Display Planning Mass Production of OLED Displays for iPhones in Early 2018

 

[FasterQuieter]

Not really. Apple has been experimenting with OLEDs for years. The Watch has them. The technology just currently isn't where Apple wants it to be for inclusion on iPhones. I assume that if and when iPhones do have OLEDs, significant improvements will have been made to the current drawbacks.

Maybe this is true, but I think cost and the limited global supply are equal if not greater factors in their decision making. Their huge success has the unfortunate side effect of preventing them from adopting certain cutting edge technologies. If the components can't be manufactured in the hundreds of millions, Apple cannot use them.

 

[hofer]

The article talks about OLED displays, then mentions that Samsung uses AMOLED. No explanation of whether those two are same thing - or if they are not - explanation of the the difference.

Could someone explain this to us non-geeks?

 

[theluggage]

I have a question regarding OLED. I heard, that their lifespan is relatively short,

My Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (circa 2012) with amoled is still going strong. (My gran used 30 pieces of anecdotal evidence a day and she lived to 94! ). its a nice display (720 x 1,280) OTOH, I can't say that non-OLED iPhone/iPad screens want to make me claw my eyes out and I wouldn't really see OLED as a must-have feature for a phone unless there was some other great practical upshot (power consumption, maybe? - the battery life on the Samsung is pretty good c.f. iPhones).

compared to LCD and that you can tell a 2 year old display pretty easily apart from a new one.

Unless you're anal about it, the question is not will you be able to tell the difference in a side-by-side test, but will you notice the difference in daily use. File under the horrible backlight bleed you get on your display when you black out the room and take a picture with a half-second exposure and maximum ISO...

 

[Lexdexia]

How anyone can call the iPhone a flagship phone with its devastating inferior hardware is beyond me. OLED in 2018? And then most likely still only 1080P. Absolutely laughable. There's just no excuse for it at this price point. When looking for an OEM to push the industry and consumers into the future, Apple definitely will never be the one.

I have no idea what kind of future you're envisioning. I thought the future was about making life easier by taking highly advanced technology and making it so simple a kid could pick it up and use it. Not about selling people bleeding edge hardware that looks impressive on some spec sheet but seldom improve the user experience in any way.

Certainly, millions of people must find the outdated LCD display tech of the iPhone to be a worthwhile trade off compared to the competition. How else would you explain Samsung's plummeting smartphone influence?

 

[shanson27]

AMOLED screen flicker (AMOLED vs IPS LCD)

 

[Michael Goff]

How anyone can call the iPhone a flagship phone with its devastating inferior hardware is beyond me. OLED in 2018? And then most likely still only 1080P. Absolutely laughable. There's just no excuse for it at this price point. When looking for an OEM to push the industry and consumers into the future, Apple definitely will never be the one.

Resolution for the sake of resolution is pointless.

 

[LordQ]

How anyone can call the iPhone a flagship phone with its devastating inferior hardware is beyond me. OLED in 2018? And then most likely still only 1080P. Absolutely laughable. There's just no excuse for it at this price point. When looking for an OEM to push the industry and consumers into the future, Apple definitely will never be the one.

Because a 4K display on a phone is "the future"? Absurd.

 

[AustinIllini]

flickering screens and burn-ins.. or maybe thats just amoled?

Not a big problem in the mid level to premium cell phone world.

The article talks about OLED displays, then mentions that Samsung uses AMOLED. No explanation of whether those two are same thing - or if they are not - explanation of the the difference.

Could someone explain this to us non-geeks?

Sure. There isn't just an "OLED" phone. There's AMOLED and PMOLED. They behave differently, but in phones, it's reasonable to assume the iPhone would be AMOLED.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

Bizarre that we're speculating on rumors for something three iPhone cycles away...

 

[naeS1Sean]

Better extraordinarily late then never I suppose...(sigh)

 

[freepomme]

I would like a better iPhone screen. It's not as crisp as Samung ones, they don't have that fidelity.

 

[agsystems]

Today's technology in 3 years time !

Well the problem is the quantities Apple would need...by 2018's holiday quarter, we could be looking at 100+ million phones in 1 quarter.

 

[npmacuser5]

More catchup from Apple.

I really like the fact that Apple chooses wisely on their technology. There is that leading or some say bleeding edge of technology. To early or to late is the challenge in today's technology market. I am not buying cool technology, buying technology that gets done what I need done. I have been extremely happy with Apple and given their sales it would appear that many agree.

 

[Thunderhawks]

apple does not have to put OLED screens in their phones currently because people are buying them anyway and they can make them for cheap. Want OLED in your iPhone? Talk with your wallet and stop buying the product. They will make changes real quick; however iPhone customers will just buy the new iPhone because its the new iPhone, regardless of what display it is.

Sorry, can't agree. People buy iPhones because it is very very very good.
Did I mention GOOD?
Perfect is not possible, as not all usage patterns of consumers can be foreseen.

I (and I am sure many others) Do not have a problem with the current display or that it's glass.

Anybody who knows Apple also knows that they will not jump on new technologies for popularity sake,
because some geeks poo poo glass.

What happens in 2018 is too far away to even worry about.

 

[Piggie]

God no.

Can we assume that you not change your mind if/when this happens?
And will stick to your statement here?

 

[AustinIllini]

I really like the fact that Apple chooses wisely on their technology. There is that leading or some say bleeding edge of technology. To early or to late is the challenge in today's technology market. I am not buying cool technology, buying technology that gets done what I need done. I have been extremely happy with Apple and given their sales it would appear that many agree.

Nexus and iPhones are similar in this way. Both Google and Apple are conservative with their phones and allow the other OEMs to figure out what works and what doesn't.

 

[AustinIllini]

Bizarre that we're speculating on rumors for something three iPhone cycles away...

It's not actually bizarre. Most of the iPhone 7S is probably already planned out. I'm sure Apple marketing, hardware, and software development are currently negotiating what needs to be in the next gen phones after that.

 

[Spendlove]

As a fairly normal non-techie geek type person, why should I care what sort of display screen the my iPhone has? Can anyone tell me what the advantages/disadvantages are of OLED (whatever that means) over my lovely retina quality screen?

In simple layman terms please.

 

[69Mustang]

Sorry, can't agree. People buy iPhones because it is very very very good.
Did I mention GOOD?
Perfect is not possible, as not all usage patterns of consumers can be foreseen.

I (and I am sure many others) Do not have a problem with the current display or that it's glass.

Anybody who knows Apple also knows that they will not jump on new technologies for popularity sake,
because some geeks poo poo glass.

What happens in 2018 is too far away to even worry about.

Confused. You're arguing points not made by the poster you replied to. His point was the iPhone doesn't need OLED. I think he's right. The iPhone display is perfectly fine. The display on most flagships is perfectly fine. I also think he's right that iPhone fans will buy iPhones regardless of the screen tech. As long as it looks good, most people don't care what tech is behind it. If Apple does move to OLED iPhones will still move in tremendous numbers.