It hasn’t even been a couple of months since the launch of the iPhone 7 / 7 Plus in India, but rumours of the upcoming iPhone 8 are coming in regularly. The latest report claims that the next iPhone may have a curved OLED display.
Nikkei Asian Review had already reported that the upcoming iPhone would be sporting an OLED display. President of display maker Sharp and another senior executive had hinted that iPhones would stop sporting the LTPS panel in favour of OLED screens.
Addressing students of the Tatung University, Sharp President Tai Jeng-wu said that he did not know if Apple OLED iPhones would be a hit, but if Apple does not transform itself on the hardware front, then there will be a sort of crisis. “We are now building a new [OLED] facility in Japan. We can make [OLED panels] in the US too. If our key customer demands us to manufacture in the US, is it possible for us not to do so?,” said Tai. Sharp makes the LTPS displays on iPhones.
Of the alleged three iPhone variants that are expected to come out next year, the 5.5-inch model will be the premium one. This model is not only expected to have an OLED display according to speculations, but rather a curved OLED display. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also hinted at a curved OLED display on the upcoming iPhone.
Samsung uses OLED displays on its flagships – the S7 / S7 edge. The OLED displays offer a notably higher contrast ratios than the LCD display on an iPhone. The Samsung S7 edge also demonstrated the ability of OLED displays to be bent.
Apart from an OLED display, the Nikkei report also stated that the upcoming iPhone’s chassis would be similar to that seen on the iPhone 4 with a slab of glass on the back as well. Apple also plans to add in wireless charging on the next iPhone.