Apple To Adopt OLED Displays For All iPhones By 2025
Apple will be phasing out the liquid crystal displays (LCDs) in its lower-priced iPhone SE models.
California-based tech giant Apple plans to make a complete transition to organic light-emitting diode (OLED) for its products, starting 2025, according to a report by Japan’s Nikkei newspaper.
With this move, Apple will be phasing out the liquid crystal displays (LCDs) in its lower-priced iPhone SE models.
OLED displays, which use organic compounds that emit light on their own, offer more vivid colors and sharper contrast than LCDs due to the absence of a backlight.
Apple first introduced OLED features with iPhone X in 2017, gradually replacing LCDs in its premium models. The company has now decided to completely replace the LCDs with OLED, marking the end of the former in iPhones.
The Tim Cook-led company brought OLED screens to the latest generation iPad Pro models launched in May, to offer a better display to users.
According to the report, Apple has placed orders for OLED screens with China’s BOE Technology Group and South Korea’s LG Display for the iPhone SE, in preparation for the switch.
Mass production with OLED screens is likely to begin in October 2024, with a potential release in early 2025.
LCD Suppliers to take hit
After the move, Japanese suppliers Japan Display (JDI) and Sharp, who once held a significant share of the LCD market, will no longer be supplying Apple, as they do not engage in the mass production of OLED screens for smartphones.
A decade ago, JDI and Sharp provided 70% of iPhone displays, but their contribution diminished gradually as Apple began integrating the OLED technology into their premium products. As of 2023, their LCD supply to Apple had dropped significantly, from nearly 200 million annually in 2015 to around 20 million.
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Currently, Samsung Electronics dominates the OLED market for iPhones, holding about 50%, LG Display has 30%, and BOE has around 20%.
Apple’s decision is being seen as driven by the rise in demand for better picture quality and thinner, sleek and more efficient screens.
