Sources claim Apple is "serious" about switching to flexible OLED touchscreens for future iPhone models
It's well established that phone manufacturers plan multiple iterations of their flagship smartphones well in advance, but according to new information Apple may already be making plans for the iPhone 8 in 2018 just as the rumour mill is obsessing over the intricacies of the iPhone 6S and/or iPhone 7.
Reports circulating as of June 24 focus on a newly discovered Apple patent for a flexible and/or curved OLED display which it's thought may appear on a future iPhone (but NOT the next one). Apple has an established history in securing patents on designs it never follows up on, but according to the rumour mill, specifically an "industry source" speaking to Business Korea, this time around Apple is "serious" about switching to OLED.
The source went on to claim that there is a huge potential market for a curved display iPhone. This point wasn't elaborated upon much, but we can only assume it's a reference to the increasing popularity of curved display phones such a the LG G Flex, LG G4, and Samsung Galaxy S6 EDGE, particularly in the Asian market, where the iPhone brand itself is also seeing a huge upsurge in interest with consumers.
However, the source added that 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," so don't expect to see a curved display iPhone for a while yet. Assuming Apple continues its leapfrogged approach with the iPhone 6 followed by iPhone 6S, then followed by the iPhone 7, in its usual pattern with a launch every September, that would mean we're probably looking at the iPhone 8 in 2018.
At present Apple only uses flexible OLED for its Apple Watch, with panels supplied by LG and Samsung's display arms. Business Korea's sources seem to think Apple will adopt OLED partly for the flexible properties; allowing for new form factors and the popularity of these features in the current market, but also due to perceived "weak points" for "colour saturation, accuracy, and brightness," with the currently used LCDs. That is, of course, open to debate; as impressive as OLED seems to be on recent Samsung devices there doesn't seem to be much wrong with the iPhone 6's LCD display quality if you ask us.
A curved display design also raises a lot of other questions relating to other rumours circulating about Apple's future iPhones. A big talking point at the moment is the idea that Apple will integrate iPhone controls and features (including the TouchID fingerprint scanner) into the display glass while ditching the traditional Home key button. The upside of this is a much sleeker look with the display taking up most of the phone's design, but reports indicate it's going to take a lot of advanced technology and effort to put this together. While this sort of thing would pair quite well stylistically with curved display features, assuming both technology types are as difficult to implement as it's claimed, then implementing them together at the same time really does pose something of a head-scratcher. That said, if anyone can do it in terms of innovation and being able to throw a ton of money at the problem, it's probably Apple.
Source: www.knowyourmobile.com
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