Apple iPhone display manufacturer LG is poised to increase its production of OLED substrates to 75,000 per month by early 2017, according to South Korea’s Electronic Times. The publication was the first to report Apple was in the process of reaching an agreement with LG (and Samsung) to start production of OLED displays earlier this December 2015.
LG is currently producing about 20,000 substrates per month. Sorely lacking OLED production capacity among its suppliers, Apple has also tapped on Samsung and AU Optronics to help produce the more expensive OLED display.
OLED displays have a higher contrast ratio than LCD displays, and are able to produce vivid colors in a way LCD technology is incapable of outputting. Not only that, but OLED displays are also thinner, lighter, more flexible and are vastly more energy efficient than LCD display technology.
Apple currently uses a hybrid version of an OLED display called AMOLED with the Apple Watch. An AMOLED display uses thin-film transistors found in LCD displays in combination with OLED technology.
If Apple doesn’t deviate from its current production release cycle, the iPhone 8 will be released in September 2018. This could mean Apple is asking its display manufacturers to spool up production rates presumably in time for the release of the iPhone 7s, but on the other hand, Apple rarely makes design changes in-between generational jumps.
Typically, Apple will upgrade the internals for a ‘s’ release. The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus received the 3D Touch capable display screen for example, but didn’t have its overall looked changed. The question of when OLED displays will make their way into the iPhone boils down to Apple’s feelings on how big of an upgrade swapping out the display will come across, and any influence it may have on the design of the iPhone 7.
