iPhone 7 To Have OLED Display, New Report Claims

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Apple failed to bring sapphire display with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus last year. That would have been a major shift from LCD screens Apple has traditionally relied on. But a new report from Japanese newspaper Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun claims that the Cupertino company’s next flagship, likely to be called iPhone 7, will see some changes in display technology. The iPhone 7 will have an OLED display.

iPhone 7 To Have OLED Display, New Report Claims

Foxconn to supply OLED displays

That’s in line with previous reports that Foxconn and its subsidiary Innolux were setting up a $2.6 billion display manufacturing facility in Taiwan. The iPhone maker has hired Foxconn to make OLED screens for the iPhone 7 as well as Apple Watch. Production is expected to start in late 2015. So, it’s still unclear which iPhone would use the OLED screen.

Supply chain sources told Stabley Times that the iPhone 6S could be unveiled this spring, followed by the iPhone 7 in September. So, the OLED display is most likely to appear in the iPhone 7, given the production schedule. Foxconn’s new factory in Taiwan will exclusively make components for Apple. The two companies have strong business partnerships. For Apple Watch, South Korean company LG Display will be making flexible screens.

Apple working on a flexible iPhone 7?

Earlier this week, Apple was granted a new patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The Flexible Electronic Devices patent has fueled speculations that the iPhone 7 will be a flexible, foldable device. The patent provides details about methods of folding or flexing a smartphone without damaging its internal components. The patent lists six Apple employees as inventors.

The patent quotes OLED displays as potential flexible components. The Cupertino company is yet to officially confirm the OLED display plans. Further, the patent describes how various forms of folding could be incorporated into the future iPhones to make it more compact. Among other things, the iPhone 7 is expected to sport A9 processor and 2GB RAM. Samsung has reportedly won the contract to supply A9 processor for the next iPhone.

Apple shares inched up 1.14% to $108.98 in pre-market trading Thursday.

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