Apple is said to be "serious" about adopting flexible OLED (organic light emitting diode) displays for the iPhone 8, but the technology is not about to appear in Apple's products anytime soon.
The iPhone 8, which is expected to be released in 2018 after the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7s in 2016 and 2017 respectively, could possibly be the first iPhone to have the same OLED displays that are currently found in Samsung's Galaxy lineup of flagship smartphones.
This is according to an unnamed industry source cited by South Korean publication Business Korea, who says the shift to OLED displays will help Apple address current issues with its LCD touchscreen, including color accuracy, saturation and brightness.
The source also says LG Display, which is one of Apple's suppliers for the OLED displays used for the Apple Watch (the other being Samsung), is preparing to have one of its manufacturing facilities in Gumi shift from an LCD line to an OLED line. The facility is expected to be ready for mass production by 2017, in time for the anticipated launch of the iPhone 8 in 2018.
"It is very likely that the first flexible iPhone may be introduced in 2018, as Apple's top-tier display suppliers are working on it," the source says.
The source also believes OLED displays have the potential to open up a "huge market" for Apple, which has not yet used the technology in any of its iPhones.
For years, Apple has been rumored to take the OLED route, as Android phone makers such as Samsung and LG have been doing so in the last few years and have appeared to be pretty successful in that aspect. However, Samsung is not reportedly without its own production bottlenecks for flexible displays, so it makes sense for Apple to put off using the technology until its suppliers can prove to be able to meet the huge demand for Apple's iPhones.
Still, the iPhone 8 has a very long way to go from the conceptual stage to market, and plenty of new developments will certainly crop up in three years between now and its launch.
