Apple has of course started work on the iPhone 8 scheduled for next year and the smartphone is expected to come with significant upgrades to celebrate the ten-year anniversary. One of the big changes is expected to be the shift to OLED screens and the Cupertino company is reportedly considering to introduce a curved display in at least one of the models revealed next year.
Furthermore, the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is prototyping more than 10 models for the iPhone 8, and the OLED panel variant is just one of them. The report cites supply chain sources to claim that Apple has asked its suppliers apart from Samsung to ramp up their OLED efforts, in the event the company decides to go mainstream with OLED panels.
While Apple has signed a deal with Samsung for the supply of OLED displays, it has reportedly also asked Japan Display, Sharp, and LG Display to speed its efforts. The three companies will reportedly be ready to scale up their OLED display production by 2018. They have also been told to submit prototype displays with “better resolution than the ones from Samsung.” The anticipated shortage of the panels reasons why Apple is said to be considering OLED displays in only one model and not all. The OLED panel will also be in exclusive to the premium variant, as it is more expensive than the current LCD display. By introducing them in all the models, even the base one, Apple risks scraping its profit margin too thin. The report maintains that the top-end model will sport and OLED display that is curved.
The iPhone 8 is expected to sport an all-glass back, a bezel-less display with no Home Button. It will sport an optical fingerprint scanner and come with advanced wireless charging support.