Making a case: MicroLED Display in iPhone 6S

[0000757]

It's completely likely. I won't be surprised if they do it, but I won't be surprised if they don't.

If the 6s doesn't adopt it, then the 7 will, but I think it's likely the 6s will.

 

[I7guy]

The new 7000 series case and strengthening is an external improvement is it not?

Not sure if a case is external or internal. I could be far off base, or maybe not seeing the forest from the trees.

 

[SR71]

Apple seems to focus more on internal improvements for the "s" rather than external improvements. The display is an external improvement.

The same could be said for Touch ID on the 5s though. That was quite a significant external change and one that was immediately noticeable to anyone who saw it.

 

[I7guy]

The same could be said for Touch ID on the 5s though. That was quite a significant external change and one that was immediately noticeable to anyone who saw it.

True, but it was electronics integrated within the button, which Touch ID didn't even have to be used. The screen is a more of an invasive change to the phone hardware.(so I think Anyway)

 

[elathus]

True, but it was electronics integrated within the button, which Touch ID didn't even have to be used. The screen is a more of an invasive change to the phone hardware.(so I think Anyway)

So adding Force Touch to the screen doesn't count as invasive change to the hardware??

 

[iphonedude2008]

You're arguing about the wrong thing. S upgrades aren't internal and number upgrades aren't external. Looking at it objectively, both a big upgrades. The only difference is number upgrades change design size and form, while S upgrades retain it. The 4S and 5S added colors which after all are very big external changes. Apple also isn't limited by their past patterns. It's not set it stone that an S cannot change materials or external facing feature.

 

[Truefan31]

Sweet, it appears their track record is pretty good. Let's hope they're right about OLED (although mLED would be better).



What makes you think that? I don't mean to sound argumentative, I'm truly curious.



You raise some good points and while it is more likely that a display change will happen with the 7, as you said, the S model's are known to have a few surprises. Let's hope OLED or mLED is onofe them.

Yeah hoping for mled too lol

 

[dampfnudel]

So many clues pointing to new screen tech (OLED or mLED) for the iPhone 6s/6s Plus:

1) The apparent inability of LCD screens to integrate with Force Touch, based on the current availability of such screens, namely the Apple Watch and a new smartphone from ZTE, the Axon Mini which features an OLED screen with Force Touch. The likely possibility of a rippling effect on current LCDs.

2) Reduced battery capacities for both the 6s and 6s Plus possibly indicating a much more efficient screen technology such as OLED or mLED that may even increase battery life in conjunction with the more efficient A9.

3) iPhone 6s/6s Plus code indicating a software-based flash for the FaceTime camera, which would probably require a brighter display such as the one you get with mLED in order to be useful as a hardware flash replacement.

4) iPhone 6s and 6s Plus getting the same animated wallpaper like you have on the Apple Watch, which according to Jony will only look "more magical" on a better display, like OLED on the Apple Watch.

5) Apple placing a bigger order for the iPhone 6s/6s Plus, possibly indicating Apple's confidence in getting a good number of iPhone 6/6 Plus owners to upgrade in addition to remaining Android holdouts and those waiting for a new 4" iPhone. All of this confidence based on the "visual impact" that people will be able to show off to their friends and family. That in addition to the improved performance, significant camera upgrades, multitasking, etc. Maybe interacting with those animated fish on a much better looking display possibly using Force Touch will be enough to convince a lot of people to upgrade, gimmick or no gimmick.

6) iPhone 6s/6s Plus uses only a single display connector, not two like with the current LCD. Which display tech uses only one display connector - OLED (or the improved mLED which may be what Apple decides to use).

7) Jony doesn't like the LCD in the current iPhone and probably wants to hold an iPhone with a better display sooner rather than later. Maybe one more year didn't cut it with him and he convinced Tim to add mLED to the iPhone 6s/6s Plus so they can say at the iPhone intro next week that their new displays are better than Samsung's AMOLED. Bragging rights go a long way in the fierce competition between Apple and Samsung and the media usually pays closer attention to Apple when they actually do leapfrog Samsung in tech...or even when they don't.

With all of that said, I voted 'Maybe' because I've been letdown by Apple before when it comes to rumored improvements/new features & tech.

 

[Bbqthis]

Maybe I'm thick, but everyone is talking about a single cable display panel in the 6S, but every picture of the panel I've seen there are 2 cables? Can post a photo with this single cable labeled? I'd be most appreciative...

 

[nj-morris]

Does AMOLED have any advantage over mLED?

 

[nj-morris]

Due to force touch. It adds parts to the display.

That's another point, an AMOLED display wouldn't need extra parts for FT, because the panel is flexible.

 

[StuMcBill]

That's another point, an AMOLED display wouldn't need extra parts for FT, because the panel is flexible.

I would imagine this more refers to the circuitry required?

 

[nj-morris]

I would imagine this more refers to the circuitry required?

No I mean the panel itself is physically flexible. This means it only requires small sensors within the display to detect whether it's moving.

 

[Benched08]

Unless I'm mistaken, the report just posted about Apple's use of in-cell touch for the 6S series and Glass-on-Glass for the 7 rules out the possibility of an AMOLED, since I believe both technologies are LCD-only.

 

[SR71]

So many clues pointing to new screen tech (OLED or mLED) for the iPhone 6s/6s Plus:

1) The apparent inability of LCD screens to integrate with Force Touch, based on the current availability of such screens, namely the Apple Watch and a new smartphone from ZTE, the Axon Mini which features an OLED screen with Force Touch. The likely possibility of a rippling effect on current LCDs.

2) Reduced battery capacities for both the 6s and 6s Plus possibly indicating a much more efficient screen technology such as OLED or mLED that may even increase battery life in conjunction with the more efficient A9.

3) iPhone 6s/6s Plus code indicating a software-based flash for the FaceTime camera, which would probably require a brighter display such as the one you get with mLED in order to be useful as a hardware flash replacement.

4) iPhone 6s and 6s Plus getting the same animated wallpaper like you have on the Apple Watch, which according to Jony will only look "more magical" on a better display, like OLED on the Apple Watch.

5) Apple placing a bigger order for the iPhone 6s/6s Plus, possibly indicating Apple's confidence in getting a good number of iPhone 6/6 Plus owners to upgrade in addition to remaining Android holdouts and those waiting for a new 4" iPhone. All of this confidence based on the "visual impact" that people will be able to show off to their friends and family. That in addition to the improved performance, significant camera upgrades, multitasking, etc. Maybe interacting with those animated fish on a much better looking display possibly using Force Touch will be enough to convince a lot of people to upgrade, gimmick or no gimmick.

6) iPhone 6s/6s Plus uses only a single display connector, not two like with the current LCD. Which display tech uses only one display connector - OLED (or the improved mLED which may be what Apple decides to use).

7) Jony doesn't like the LCD in the current iPhone and probably wants to hold an iPhone with a better display sooner rather than later. Maybe one more year didn't cut it with him and he convinced Tim to add mLED to the iPhone 6s/6s Plus so they can say at the iPhone intro next week that their new displays are better than Samsung's AMOLED. Bragging rights go a long way in the fierce competition between Apple and Samsung and the media usually pays closer attention to Apple when they actually do leapfrog Samsung in tech...or even when they don't.

With all of that said, I voted 'Maybe' because I've been letdown by Apple before when it comes to rumored improvements/new features & tech.

Love the points you brought up. The most convincing points I'd say are 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7. I'd say that 7 is one of the greatest reasons for believing we might get OLED or mLED this year. Jony wouldn't just say how much better OLED (or mLED) is in the Watch and then not bring that same superior technology to their main product: the iPhone.

Maybe I'm thick, but everyone is talking about a single cable display panel in the 6S, but every picture of the panel I've seen there are 2 cables? Can post a photo with this single cable labeled? I'd be most appreciative...

See this picture:

The iPhone 6 has two separate cables on top, while the 6s has a single cable

Does AMOLED have any advantage over mLED?

None that I know of. mLED is more power-efficient and much, much brighter.

No I mean the panel itself is physically flexible. This means it only requires small sensors within the display to detect whether it's moving.

While I agree with what you say I've always wondered if OLED being physically flexible means that it can be used to curve a display over an edge, such as on the Galaxy S6 Edge, or if it means that it is flexible to the point where it can be used for a force sensing display. I'm guessing it's both, but have always wondered what they mean by a "flexible display."

 

[SR71]

Unless I'm mistaken, the report just posted about Apple's use of in-cell touch for the 6S series and Glass-on-Glass for the 7 rules out the possibility of an AMOLED, since I believe both technologies are LCD-only.

I just saw that report and it seems VERY unlikely. Glass-on-Glass is considerably thicker than in-cell tech and with the display already being thicker due to Force Touch I just cannot see this being true at all. Also, that report states that in-cell tech struggles with touch sensitivity on the edges, but I can't think of a single person who's had a problem with touch sensitivity on the iPhone 5s or 6 (which both use in-cell tech). Lastly, even if they did have problems with edge sensitivity, Apple would likely research ways to solve this problem as opposed to going back to an inferior technology that would thickness of their display.

 

[NoWayBehind]

If I remember correctly the iPhone 6s actually still has 2 flex connectors, however one of them is vertical. You can see it in this vid at the 1:00 minute mark. He writes it down in the bottom left corner (Taken from iPhone 6s roundup):

Couldn't it just be some measures that needed to be made because of the other internal changes ?
I found it quite possible up until I remembered this video and thought about it. That's why my vote is "No".

 

[samsveds]

If I remember correctly the iPhone 6s actually still has 2 flex connectors, however one of them is vertical. You can see it in this vid at the 1:00 minute mark. He writes it down in the bottom left corner (Taken from iPhone 6s roundup):

Couldn't it just be some measures that needed to be made because of the other internal changes ?
I found it quite possible up until I remembered this video and thought about it. That's why my vote is "No".

Yeah it does indeed have 2 flex cables as can be seen here as well:

 

[Benched08]

I just saw that report and it seems VERY unlikely. Glass-on-Glass is considerably thicker than in-cell tech and with the display already being thicker due to Force Touch I just cannot see this being true at all. Also, that report states that in-cell tech struggles with touch sensitivity on the edges, but I can't think of a single person who's had a problem with touch sensitivity on the iPhone 5s or 6 (which both use in-cell tech). Lastly, even if they did have problems with edge sensitivity, Apple would likely research ways to solve this problem as opposed to going back to an inferior technology that would thickness of their display.

On-Glass solutions have gotten much thinner, comparable I think to in-cell or a hair thicker. But they also provide advantages as listed in the article like higher resolution, and shrinking bezels (something Apple desperately needs to do). I'm pretty sure the OLED theory has been debunked this go-around.

 

[SR71]

If I remember correctly the iPhone 6s actually still has 2 flex connectors, however one of them is vertical. You can see it in this vid at the 1:00 minute mark. He writes it down in the bottom left corner (Taken from iPhone 6s roundup):

Couldn't it just be some measures that needed to be made because of the other internal changes ?
I found it quite possible up until I remembered this video and thought about it. That's why my vote is "No".

Yeah it does indeed have 2 flex cables as can be seen here as well:

What I'm thinking is that that the 6s has a single display cable and then a single cable for Force Touch. The 6 on the other hand has two cables for the display itself. What do you guys think of that idea? That seems more plausible and would match up with the iPhone 6s having a single display cable and a single Force Touch cable.

On-Glass solutions have gotten much thinner, comparable I think to in-cell or a hair thicker. But they also provide advantages as listed in the article like higher resolution, and shrinking bezels (something Apple desperately needs to do). I'm pretty sure the OLED theory has been debunked this go-around.

I just re-read the report and it says that Apple is sticking with in-cell tech for the 2015 iPhone release and is considering switching back to glass-on-glass tech for the 2016 iPhone release. Keywords here are that they're just considering it and not for this year's iPhone, but for next year's. Also, I don't think GoG tech completely throws out the possibility of an OLED display. Actually, now that I think about I don't see why an OLED display couldn't be used with GoG technology.

I still think that considering the comments Jony made, the fact that Force Touch seems to require a flexible display like OLED, and the numerous things in iOS 9 that are hinting at an OLED display (black wallpapers with vivid colors, animated motion wallpapers a la Apple Watch, etc.) there's still a pretty big chance we'll see some sort of display change with this year's iPhone.

 

[Bbqthis]

Yeah it does indeed have 2 flex cables as can be seen here as well:

That's what I thought. The 6S has two cables, but they're sort of stacked in each other, giving the appearance of one cable in the photos.

 

[SR71]

That's what I thought. The 6S has two cables, but they're sort of stacked in each other, giving the appearance of one cable in the photos.

I posted my thoughts on this above:

What I'm thinking is that that the 6s has a single display and then a single cable for Force Touch. The 6 on the other hand has two cables for the display itself. What do you guys think of that idea? That seems more plausible and would match up with the iPhone 6s having a single display cable and a single Force Touch cable.

 

[samsveds]

What I'm thinking is that that the 6s has a single display and then a single cable for Force Touch. The 6 on the other hand has two cables for the display itself. What do you guys think of that idea? That seems more plausible and would match up with the iPhone 6s having a single display cable and a single Force Touch cable.

After looking at teardowns on iFixit, I don't think that's true. The iPhone 6/6+ has 3 cables as seen in the image below. The topmost wide cable is for the earpiece speaker, microphone and ambient light sensor. The vertical cable on the left is for Touch ID and is routed to the home button. The third and last can be partly seen beneath them, this is the single display cable.

The display cable can be seen here to the left on it's lonesome:

Full size images of teardown.

EDIT: Wait a minute.. The image from the iPhone 6 teardown has an image from a different angle that actually seems to have 2 cables:

Yeah, it's visible in the comparison video too. Doh!

 

[The Leafs Fan]

What I'm thinking is that that the 6s has a single display and then a single cable for Force Touch. The 6 on the other hand has two cables for the display itself. What do you guys think of that idea? That seems more plausible and would match up with the iPhone 6s having a single display cable and a single Force Touch cable.

You might be right about that because the Apple Watch display also seems to have two cables.

 

[Bbqthis]

Is there a reason why LCD has 2 display cables and OLED typically only has 1? Isn't it more likely Apple has just found a way to merge the two cables in their LCD panel to save space?