Apple’s OLED iPhone 8 Will Be Curved On All Sides [REPORT]

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It’s no secret now that there could be an iPhone 8 version with an OLED display. The OLED display is rumored to be an edge-to-edge display, which means there will be a minimal amount of bezels on all sides, or the edges will be curved towards the rear for a “waterfall” look. If the latest report is to be believed ,it will the latter.

iPhone 8 Concept
Image Credit: Veniamin Geskin / Twitter

Will the iPhone 8 come with a “waterfall” look?

According to the Korea Herald, the iPhone 8 could be curved on all sides for a “waterfall look.” The report says that the OLED version of the iPhone 8 will be curved, as Apple has ordered plastic OLED displays from Samsung Display (not glass).

Here, the reference to plastic OLED possibly means that the panels Apple has ordered are not made from a glass substrate but of plastic so that they can bend, notes Phone Arena. Phone Arena is not certain about the report that the sides will be curved because all of Samsung’s flexible OLED displays have been made from a plastic substrate since the Galaxy Round. So far, they have been curved on one or two sides, but not all around.

However, the Galaxy S8 is rumored to use a similar “all-screen” concept on the front with no physical Home button and a curved top and bottom.

“So the iPhone 8 might also be rocking the “plastic” OLED in a similar fashion,” says Phone Arena.

How Apple plans to make it special

According to the Korea Herald, Samsung’s curved OLED capacity for Apple is estimated to be around 70 million to 100 million units, which is less than half the annual sales of the iPhone series, at around 200 million units. The rest of the panels will reportedly be a flat version with LCDs (liquid crystal displays) from JDI and LG Display.

LG Display is currently said to be working with Google and Apple to develop foldable panels for outward-folding smartphones, according to recent news reports. Additionally, the reports say that LG Display aims to provide such panels to Google, Microsoft and Apple in 2018.

Citing an unnamed source, the Korea Herald added that the added value that Apple always aims for will not be a foldable phone or other ostentatious flexible display tactics; rather the team is trying to develop new touch options for the sides. The media outlet claims that the upcoming iPhone may use new sensing technology which allows the smartphone to respond when users touch any side of the device.

“But, Apple may not adopt this technology,” the source told the Korea Herald.

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