Apple is in the process of shifting to a new type of display technology from 2018 when it will transcend from LCD to OLED based displays for its iPhone lineup. Since Apple launches its next iteration of iPhone on a yearly basis, in all probability, iPhone 8 will be featuring the OLED display.
It seems that LG will be tasked with producing the OLED display for iPhone edition to be released in 2018. LG is reported to be planning to invest billions of dollars in OLED display production over the next few years. There are plans for a large panel plant in Korea which could produce screens for new iPhones.
The said factory is coming up in Paju, Gyeonggi Province and will take about two years to be completed. It will specialize in large-sized OLED TV panels and flexible OLED panels that will be used in smart watches and car displays. LG is reported to have sunk almost $8.7 billion, and the factory is large enough to accommodate 14 football fields.
OLED displays are better than conventional LCD displays, and LG’s OLED factory investments seem logical considering the news that Apple is going to make the switch to OLED displays for its devices from 2018.
Today Apple Watch uses the OLED, and it is natural that it will soon make the transformation and use the power-efficient OLED technology in its handsets in the coming future.
However, the technology needs further refining. OLED displays have been used by manufacturers in the past. However, there are some creases and wrinkles that need to be smoothened before the technology is accepted by Apple. The brightness, energy-saving features of OLED panels tend to diminish with time. Considering Apple’s fetish for quality and making highly durable devices, LG researchers will have to do a lot of work before OLED displays become viable for future iPhones.