Apple's upcoming iOS 11 software update apparently includes a software feature designed to prevent burn-in on the OLED display of iPhone X, according to code strings uncovered from the leaked iPhone X firmware by 9to5Mac's Benjamin Mayo.
Even if you dislike a bit oversaturated screens on Samsung's high-end phones, there's no denying that the South Korean company is widely regarded as the leader in smartphone displays. This has been confirmed now by a comprehensive evaluation of the new Note 8’s Infinity Display conducted by screen experts over at DisplayMate Technologies.
While it's yet to unveil its 2017 iPhones, Apple is already beginning “earlier than usual” development of its biggest ever iPhone models for 2018 with 5.85 and 6.46-inch OLED panels.
Images of an OLED panel along with a photograph of an L-shaped logic board destined for iPhone 8 have escaped Apple's supply chain ahead of the big reveal on September 12.
Following our first iPhone 8 component leak in the form of a purported inductive wireless charging printed circuit board last week, more alleged parts for the handset were photographed and posted on Sunday to the Chinese microblogging service Weibo.
Apple supplier Japan Display is considering seeking a possible capital injection from strategic investors and buyout funds to help finance a shift from its ailing LCD smartphone business to OLED technology, widely believed to be adopted by Apple's premium iPhone 8 model.
OLED screens for iPhone 8 are proving significantly more difficult to mass-manufacture than Apple's suppliers may have anticipated, with a Foxconn executive claiming high rejection rate for the sophisticated display panels due to “a special cutting” in them.
Seven of Samsung Display's sixth-generation manufacturing plants will increase production capacity of OLEDs destined for iPhone 8 by sevenfold from 15,000 panels per month from last year to 105,000 panels per month this year.
As Apple is said to be bankrolling its supplier LG Display's OLED expansion, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities yesterday shared his thoughts on the matter.
Major Apple supplier LG Display is reportedly investing a whopping $13.5 billion over the next three years in order to boost output of OLED panels for TVs and smartphones, which Apple is widely expected to adopt for this year's premium iPhone 8 model.
Apple has purchased sophisticated equipment to set up its own research and development facility in Taiwan to develop its own OLED technology in order to reduce its dependence on Samsung Electronics for iPhone OLED panels.
According to a repot Monday from Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes, the Cupertino giant has purchased chemical vapor deposition (CVD) machines from Korea-based Sunic System to build a 2.5G OLED panel line.
In-house OLEDs will allow Apple to differentiate its products from other handsets that use Samsung-built OLED panels. According to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report cited by DigiTimes, the move will break the dominance of Japan-based Canon Kokki, currently the primary supplier of CVD machines that ships the bulk of its output to Samsung.
“Samsung has bought five sets of OLED manufacturing equipment from Canon Tokki so far in 2017 and has signed contracts to buy five out of ten such machines to be rolled out by the Japan-based machinery company in 2018,” said the Commercial Times.
LG Display also purchased these machines but Apple has yet to validate its OLED panels.
iPhone 8 mockup via iDropNews.
Apple will use advanced organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels in all new iPhones launched from the second half of 2018, according to industry sources cited in a report Thursday by Japanese outlet Nikkei.
An industry source added that the Californian company is “tentatively looking” at releasing three new iPhones next year, adding Apple has already started to design the upcoming models.
Apple's plans are contingent upon suppliers' ability to churn out OLED panels in volume.
Because of that, the company could change its plans down the road. Sources in the OLED production equipment industry suggested that vendors may be unable to manufacture enough OLED panels to meet demand should Apple in fact go with OLEDs across 2018 iPhones.
An unnamed Sharp executive was quoted in the story as saying that “it was not likely” Apple will be using OLED screens for all new iPhones next year.
Here's a recent video of a CNC-machined iPhone 8 dummy based on the rumor-mill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW1gx086ZxU
This year, as you know, Apple is widely expected to outfit iPhone 8 with an OLED-based screen.
The flagship device is expected to sport the highest screen-to-body ratio, ditch the physical Home button and reduce or completely eliminate the top and bottom chin.
Yuanta Investment Consulting said shipments of 2017 iPhones will reach 90 million handsets, half of which will be OLED models.
As for the iterative iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus updates coming down the pike this year, these devices will continue to sport LCD screens like prior iPhone models.
Nikkei added that the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus models will be sold into early 2019. In other words, panel vendors will still be able to supply LCDs for older Apple handsets next year and well into 2019.