There have been consistent rumors over the last few months that Apple was switching to OLED displays with its 2017 iPhone 8. A new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that the iPhone 8 will arrive in three versions, but only one of them will feature OLED screens. The well-connected analyst has an impressive track record of revealing details about Apple’s future products before their launch.
Only one iPhone 8 model to have OLED display
According to the research note (via MacRumors), the 4.7-inch will have a single-lens camera and TFT-LCD display. The 5.5-inch model will get a dual-camera system and TFT-LCD display. Kuo believes there will be a third variant with an all-new OLED display and dual-camera. You can expect the OLED display iPhone 8 to have an even higher price tag than the standard iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
Ming-Chi Kuo did not reveal the screen size of the OLED display variant. But he had said in a previous research note that there would be a 5.8-inch iPhone with a curved OLED screen and all-glass casing. Earlier this week, Barclays analysts also predicted that Apple would launch a 5.8-inch iPhone next year with a curved, bezel-less design.
Dual-camera adoption to jump to 65%-75% next year
Since two iPhone 8 versions will feature dual-camera, Kuo believes that dual-camera adoption rate will jump from the current 30%-40% to 65%-75%. KGI Securities has said on several occasions that at least one model of iPhone 8 could feature an all-glass design similar to the iPhone 4. Earlier this month, the research firm revealed that Apple would not launch a successor to the iPhone SE to keep its profit margins high.
An OLED display is much thinner and brighter than the LCD panels. OLED screens also have a higher contrast ratio than LCD, but they are a little more difficult to produce. Apple already uses OLED displays on the Apple Watch and for the Touch Bar of the latest MacBook Pro. An executive at Sharp recently indicated that the iPhone 8 would use OLED displays from his company. However, some of the orders are also expected to go to Samsung and LG.
Apple places OLED purchase orders worth $4 billion
JPMorgan analysts who analyzed Apple’s latest 10-K filing said that the Cupertino company had placed large orders for OLED screens. The purchase orders extending over a period of one year were worth about $4 billion. In the past, factors like supply availability and cost might have prevented the iPhone maker from using OLED displays in the iPhones, but it’s going to change in 2017.
The iPhone 8 is also rumored to get rid of the physical home button. The fingerprint sensor and home functionality are said to be embedded in the display itself.
