Apple is widely expected to adopt OLED displays for the iPhone, a first for its flagship product. Multiple reports said so far that only one of Apple’s three anticipated new iPhones for 2017 will have an OLED screen, the iPhone 8. The iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, the logical successors of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, should still use LCD screens, the same reports said.
However, there’s a chance that some iPhone 7s versions will also have OLED screens.
The new development comes from a research note from Cowen and Company seen by Apple Insider.
Analyst Timothy Arcuri said that Apple’s iPhone 8 will feature a 5.8-inch OLED screen with a wraparound screen unlike anything else seen on a phone so far. The iPhone 7s will retain the expected 4.7-inch screen, and the iPhone 7s Plus will have a 5.5-inch display.
Arcuri says that Apple may yet choose to use OLED displays in the iPhone 7s models. Two factors may influence this decision, including Samsung’s capacity to deliver the enough OLED screens that match Apple’s requirements, and consumption of Apple’s existing LCD inventory.
Recent reports said that Samsung will be the only OLED display manufacturer for the iPhone, but even the South Korean giant can’t possibly meet Apple’s demand. That’s why only the iPhone 8 will get the new OLED screens.
Furthermore, reports claimed that other smartphone makers have been taking notice of iPhone 8 OLED rumors and are looking to secure OLED supply for their own handsets.
Apple’s switch to OLED for the iPhone should significantly improve the overall screen performance. Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and Galaxy Note 7 have been widely praised for their OLED screens, which offer superior features to the iPhone’s LCD screen.
