Some folks are getting excited about the prospect of this year's iPhone 8 coming with high-end screen technology. But next year's iPhones might provide more opportunities to step into the next generation.
A report out of Korea's ET News this week says both Samsung Display and LG Display are ramping up production on OLED screens to accommodate what they believe will be heavy demand in the coming years. And while they anticipate Apple bundling OLED technology in one iPhone this year, the company is likely to bring OLED to all iPhone models in 2018, according to the report.
Apple has been slow to deliver OLED screen technology to its iPhone users. Despite its top competitor, Samsung, offering OLED for quite some time, Apple has stuck to LCD screens that don't deliver the same color saturation or perfect blacks as OLED. While Apple hasn't commented on why it's gone with LCD, market experts have speculated that iPhone demand is too high for manufacturers that are experiencing relatively low yield on the manufacturing line to keep up.
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However, OLED production has improved over the past year and Apple now believes it can deliver the technology in the rumored iPhone 8 this year. The other iPhones Apple is reportedly planning -- believed to be known as the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus -- will still rely on LCD technology, according to several reports.
The ET News report suggests Apple will finally go all-in on OLED next year, when yields will likely be higher and supply not so constrained. At that time, Apple's entire iPhone line, which could include up to three iPhones, could get OLED displays, according to the report.
Apple, of course, isn't commenting on its future plans. However, if Apple does offer an OLED-based iPhone this year, it could come with several other important features, including an all-new design that would see the screen entirely cover the iPhone's face. It might also come with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor baked directly into the display.
Apple is expected to unveil the new iPhone 8, iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus later this year. Debate rages on when it could hit store shelves, with some reports saying it's slated for a September release and others saying it won't be available until October or November.