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Rumored 5.4-Inch iPhone May Have OLED Display Supplied by China's BOE

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Chinese display maker BOE has partnered with touch panel maker General Interface Solutions as both companies aim to become suppliers of Apple's rumored 5.4-inch iPhone, according to a paywalled report from DigiTimes.

2020-iphone-triad.jpg

Apple plans to release four so-called iPhone 12 models with OLED displays in the fall, including one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. All of the devices are expected to support 5G and they may sport a new design that includes more of a flat edged metal frame like the iPad Pro or iPhone 4.

The new 5.4-inch iPhone would be the smallest iPhone that Apple has ever offered with a notched display. By comparison, the iPhone 11 Pro has a 5.8-inch display and the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 6.5-inch display. With a notch, slim bezels, and lack of a home button, the 5.4-inch iPhone would have an even smaller footprint than the 4.7-inch iPhone 8.

Whereas the highest-end iPhone 12 models are expected to sport triple-lens rear camera systems with a time-of-flight sensor for 3D sensing, mid-range models like the 5.4-inch iPhone are said to have a dual-lens array and, according to 9to5Mac, may lack 3D sensing.

Article Link: Rumored 5.4-Inch iPhone May Have OLED Display Supplied by China's BOE
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/03/17/5-4-inch-iphone-oled-display-boe/
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The writing is on the wall here--the 5.4 inch iPhone will be a part of the 'lesser' set of iPhones and as such, they can manage being sourced by BOE because they will be comparable to the iPhone 11 OLEDs.

What's not being said is that the 2020 Pro iPhones will have more cutting-edge technology in the form of 120hz OLED displays which are not able to be sourced by BOE.
 
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I have my iPhone 11 Pro and love that it is the size of my X, but it can still be unwieldy with one hand. I would love a slightly smaller Pro iPhone for true one-handed operation! I take a lot of photos with my phone, so it having the updated camera technology is important to me as a buyer.
 
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I don’t know what the global OLED supply chain looks like, but it’s pretty disappointing to hear of yet another Chinese supplier added to the mix. Apple, and the rest of the world, should be attempting to diversify away from China at all costs, not become more reliant on them.
 
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Pretty safe to say BOE is already locked in as the supplier at this point.

I'd expect BOE to supply 5.4" and 6.1" models, shared with LG. While Samsung gets an exclusive contract for 6.7".
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12643 said:
I don’t know what the global OLED supply chain looks like, but it’s pretty disappointing to hear of yet another Chinese supplier added to the mix. Apple, and the rest of the world, should be attempting to diversify away from China at all costs, not become more reliant on them.
Click to expand...

BOE ranks #2 globally in terms of OLED supply capacity. It will never make sense to diversify given China holds the largest supply chain and consumer market.
 
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I hope it is LCD not OLED. I prefer a lower priced small phone for the basics. We might be forced to upgrade our SEs as there are serious OS issues that can deplete batteries from a full charge in minutes flat that seem to affect our older style phones (specifically email app and location services).
 
I really hope this actually happens! A small iPhone has been missing for a long time, and there is a demand for it. LCD would still be fine, which would mean better battery life than OLED in a small device, throw in fast charging and a decent camera and Apple would be onto a winner in an area that is largely void of any competition (small phones).

This is what the SE2 should have always been.
 
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jayducharme said:
In any case, a phone smaller than the iPhone 8 is a sale for me on the first day.
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Me too - The physical size being smaller than the iPhone 6-8 class devices is the key.

Within that smaller footprint, I don't care what the screen size is at all.

It's all about the size of the device in my hand/pocket.
 
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jayducharme said:
Just curious: are iPhone sizes measured diagonally like a TV or top-to-bottom? In any case, a phone smaller than the iPhone 8 is a sale for me on the first day.
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Screen size is measured diagonally, and phrases like "4.7-inch iPhone 8" are always referring to the screen size.
 
Still wish it was 5.5". It would be exactly the same width as iPhone 8.

5.4" will be very very slightly narrower. It is a little hard to make comparison when the Diagonal Screen Size is an approximate. i.e They are not exactly 4.7" nor 5.5".

1584472530695.png
 
oVerboost said:
LCD would still be fine, which would mean better battery life than OLED in a small device
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I was led to believe OLED used less battery because the pixels themselves are emitting what they need to instead of a backlight always on behind the entire display. Was this information incorrect?
 
Here I am praying for iOS 14 to work on my 128G SE because I don't want to move on to any of the chunky new phones they have and then this delicious rumour pops up again. I have never liked any of their designs after the 5. It was the high point of iPhone design as far as I'm concerned. I will finally buy another iphone when this 5.4" model comes out. Loved how that aesthetic has been implemented on the iPad pro's but completely disagree with the existence and pricing of that product. If MS can have a fully functioning PC in that form factor, shame on apple for trying to sell a product for that price that is basically a jacked up phone. The only way they can get away with it is by refusing to put a touch screen on any of their MacOS devices. I love my iPhone SE but Apples lap/desktops are crippled and their tablets are not productivity devices, just overgrown overpriced phones.
 
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harriska2 said:
I hope it is LCD not OLED. I prefer a lower priced small phone for the basics. We might be forced to upgrade our SEs as there are serious OS issues that can deplete batteries from a full charge in minutes flat that seem to affect our older style phones (specifically email app and location services).
Click to expand...

I suspect it will be OLED, being that it was initially rumored back in 2018 that Apple would transition completely to OLED near 2021, and that seems to be the case moving forward. Samsung won’t be the initial supplier anymore for OLED panels.

Also, I’m not sure that anyone would be forced to upgrade their iPhone SE, unless the performance really was suffering with iOS 14, but then again, you don’t have to update your iOS if you’re perfectly comfortable given its current state. Smart phones generally still perform the same functionality, if future iOS updates are discontinued for that particular model.
 
ksec said:
Still wish it was 5.5". It would be exactly the same size as iPhone 8.

5.4" will be very very slightly narrower. It is a little hard to make comparison when the Diagonal Screen Size is an approximate. i.e They are not exactly 4.7" nor 5.4".

View attachment 899598
Click to expand...

I was doing the same calculations on DisplayWars as I read your comment.

Great minds think alike! :p
 
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ksec said:
5.4" will be very very slightly narrower. It is a little hard to make comparison when the Diagonal Screen Size is an approximate. i.e They are not exactly 4.7" nor 5.4".
Click to expand...

Based on the supply chain leaks, it should be 5.42". The current 4.7" is 4.7" at least to two decimals.
 
JPack said:
Based on the supply chain leaks, it should be 5.42". The current 4.7" is 4.7" at least to two decimals.
Click to expand...

Damn it, wish it was slightly larger to round it up as 5.5".

The reason I like it being 5.5" is the number is exactly the same as iPhone Plus. ( I know the area is different due to ratio ) For consumer they have one less decision to make. And given most consumer thinks the diagonal size = area ( duh ). It would simply be the difference of same display size but no Bezel. I guess I am just a little too picky.
 
Seeing the end of the LCD phones. Looks like the 11 and the 9 (?) will be the last LCD iPhones.

zorinlynx said:
I was led to believe OLED used less battery because the pixels themselves are emitting what they need to instead of a backlight always on behind the entire display. Was this information incorrect?
Click to expand...

Might have had something to do with pixel density, but in real life the LCD iPhone 11 is better per battery (insert measurement) better than the Pro's, just like the Xr was than the Xs's - because their OLED screens (like Android OLEDs) eat power. What you heard may be true at the same pixel resolution or could have been pure baloney sponsored by the OLED mfr's association and blown throughout the tech pubs (not beyond possibility). ;-)
 
Yes! It's real ! So this means that the 5.4" will be a ´Pro´ ? Based on the current pricing, I could expect a price of 899$ for 64Gb which is what I paid for my 6 long time ago. I hope that they do a good job with the thickness of the device. I don't expect less than 6.1mm, but at least not so bulky as the current bricks....
 
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