Apple reportedly looks to manufacture microLED displays on its own for future iPhones. The move will help the company reduce its reliance on Samsung Display.
Cupertino currently sources the majority of OLED panels for its devices from Samsung. LG Display is Apple’s other key OLED supplier.
Apple plans to bring OLED displays to iPad next year, with iPad Pro to get the same treatment in 2023, according to a new report.
The switch will begin with a 10.68-inch rigid panel, likely destined for iPad Air, sources say. Apple has already transitioned its iPhone lineup to OLED screens after first bringing the technology to iPhone X in 2017.
Apple will become the world’s leading purchaser of OLED smartphone displays in 2021, snapping up an enormous 169 million panels for use in its iPhones. That’s considerably up for the 114.5 million it bought last year. It also puts Apple ahead of Samsung when it comes to buying these displays.
But don’t feel too bad for Samsung.
Samsung Display, which supplies screens for iPhones, has said that it will end all production of LCD panels in South Korea and China by the end of 2020. A spokesperson for the company made the announcement Tuesday.
“We will supply LCD orders to our customers by end of this year without any issues”, the company said in a statement. However, from the end of 2020 it will make no more LCD screens as suppliers, Apple included, move to embrace OLED and other next-gen display types.
Weak iPhone sales over the last two years could cause Apple to bring OLED displays to the iPad or MacBooks a bit earlier than expect.
Apple owes Samsung Display hundreds of millions of dollars because it agreed to purchase a certain amount of OLED displays per year. With iPhone sales in a slump, Apple hasn’t bought as many OLEDs as it promised but the two sides are reportedly discussing alternative solutions other than sending a giant pile of cash to Samsung.
Samsung will be at least one of the suppliers for future MacBook Pro and iPad Pro upgrades with OLED displays, according to a new report.
The South Korean company, which already supplies OLED screens for the iPhone, has reportedly provided Apple with sample panels ahead of big product refreshes — but there’s no word on when we’ll see them.
Japan Display will supply OLED screens for the upcoming Apple Watch Series 5, according to a new report.
This will be the Japan Display’s first foray into OLED screens. The deal is said to be a “breakthrough” for the company, which has been suffering as a result of Apple’s move from LCD to OLED displays for the iPhone.
Apple likely will keep an iPhone with an LCD screen hanging around for one more year.
According to a new report, this year’s iPhone refresh will keep the same approximate model breakdown as last year’s iPhone XR, iPhone XS and XS Max. That means 5.8- and 6.5-inch OLED iPhones, with a cheaper 6.1-inch LCD handset in the middle.
A 2019 iPhone model reportedly will sport a display made by Samsung that has the touch panel integrated into the OLED, rather than layered on top.
If true, the technology will make one of next year’s iOS handsets thinner and lighter, but not all of them.
The first camera that can be embedded under a phone’s display might launch next year. If this comes to pass, it would remove the need for the screen cutout in the iPhone and many rival Android models.
It’s no secret that companies are trying to develop in-display cameras. The promise that one will be on the market in 2019 comes from an unnamed source.
