Apple has been rumored to have dropped the LCD screen in favor of an OLED one for its impending iPhone 8, which is slated to debut in 2017. Now, reports reaffirm the supposition of the iPhone 8 sporting an OLED screen arriving in 2017.
According to a report from Bloomberg, which cites reliable sources, while Apple may be poised to unveil the 10th anniversary edition of its iPhone — said to be the iPhone 8 — in 2017, suppliers are apparently not equipped to meet the demand for the new OLED panels for the device.
"The trouble is that the four main suppliers for such components won't have enough production capacity to make screens for all new iPhones next year, with constraints continuing into 2018, people familiar with the matter said, presenting a potential challenge for the Cupertino, California-based company," revealed the publication.
The report also hints at the possibility of the display tech being limited to top-end models as the manufacturers of OLED panels presently lack the capability to handle the massive order volume from Apple.
Apple's rival OEMs currently deploy OLED panels on their handsets; however, these smartphones have relatively low shipping volumes when compared with the iPhone. As a result, the OEMs encounter low demand for the panels and it is only now that they are boosting their production capabilities. The problem lies in the fact that the manufacturing of OLED screens is tougher when compared with LCD.
Basically, the major suppliers of OLED panels such as Sharp Corp., Japan Display, Samsung Display and LG Display are not equipped to manufacture the large volume of OLED panels for iPhones in 2017. The report also suggests that these limitations of manufacturing capacity may possibly spill over to 2018.
Therefore, due to these supply constraints, whether Apple will be able to bring an iPhone 8 lineup which is all-OLED is unclear at this juncture.
What Will Apple Do?
Apple is reportedly intending to bring out at least one new iPhone 8 model, which will tout the OLED panel per Bloomberg's sources. Per Ming-Chi Kuo, KGI Securities analyst, other new iPhones could possibly continue to use the LCD screens as enough OLED screens will not be available.
So we could likely see a new 5.5-inch OLED iPhone in addition to the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions, but these would have LCD screens.
New Features
Sources have also let on that the impending iPhone could sport an all-glass design, an edge-to-edge display, as well as a virtual home button, reaffirming previous rumors. The OLED iPhone is expected to boast the edge-to-edge display and not the other 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models.
