JP Morgan predicts Apple will stick with LCD, not OLED, for 'iPhone 7'
Despite finally jumping into the OLED market with the Apple Watch, Apple is not expected to migrate its handset line away from LCD technology in the near future, instead choosing to stick with LTPS-based LCD panels when it debuts its so-called "iPhone 7."
The Japan Display facility funded by Apple's recent billion-dollar prepayment could have the capacity to churn out nearly 100 million 5-inch LTPS LCD panels each year, according to a recent note to investors from J.P. Morgan analyst Narci Chang, a copy of which was provided to AppleInsider. Chang believes this deal indicates that Apple is not yet prepared to evict LCD technology from its high-volume iPhone lineup, sticking with traditional panels through the "iPhone 7."
Japan Display confirmed plans for the new $1.4 billion LTPS LCD plant in central Japan earlier this month. Apple will partially fund construction of that facility, in return for exclusive access to the factory's output.
Apple has long been publicly opposed to using OLED technology in its handsets, deploying it for the first time in the forthcoming Apple Watch. That move was itself unexpected, with most industry watchers predicting that the company would stick with traditional LCDs in the months leading up to the Watch's unveiling.
Some believe that the choice of OLED for the Apple Watch indicated a shift in strategy that would see OLED displace LCD throughout Apple's mobile products. However, the new Japan Display deal -- alongside a reported $2.6 billion investment in LCD production from Apple partner Foxconn -- makes that an improbable scenario in the near future.
The Japan Display facility funded by Apple's recent billion-dollar prepayment could have the capacity to churn out nearly 100 million 5-inch LTPS LCD panels each year, according to a recent note to investors from J.P. Morgan analyst Narci Chang, a copy of which was provided to AppleInsider. Chang believes this deal indicates that Apple is not yet prepared to evict LCD technology from its high-volume iPhone lineup, sticking with traditional panels through the "iPhone 7."
Japan Display confirmed plans for the new $1.4 billion LTPS LCD plant in central Japan earlier this month. Apple will partially fund construction of that facility, in return for exclusive access to the factory's output.
Apple has long been publicly opposed to using OLED technology in its handsets, deploying it for the first time in the forthcoming Apple Watch. That move was itself unexpected, with most industry watchers predicting that the company would stick with traditional LCDs in the months leading up to the Watch's unveiling.
Some believe that the choice of OLED for the Apple Watch indicated a shift in strategy that would see OLED displace LCD throughout Apple's mobile products. However, the new Japan Display deal -- alongside a reported $2.6 billion investment in LCD production from Apple partner Foxconn -- makes that an improbable scenario in the near future.
Comments
By iPhone 7, do they mean iPhone 6s? Ie, this year's iPhone or next year's?
OLED was a decision made primarily for battery life on the Watch, with the secondary benefit that it blends in with the bezel. There's no reason to ditch the amazingly accurate LCD displays they use on the iPhones.
By iPhone 7, do they mean iPhone 6s? Ie, this year's iPhone or next year's?
Get with it. iPhone 7 would mean next year's iPhone (ie: Fall 2016)
Get with it. iPhone 7 would mean next year's iPhone (ie: Fall 2016)
Don't quote Benji, please.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/23/shape-things-come?utm_content=12147054&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
[quote]Under normal circumstances, the screen will then show one of nine watch faces, each customizable. One will show the time alongside a brightly lit flower, butterfly, or jellyfish; these will be in motion, against a black background. This imagery had dominated the launch, and Ive now explained his enthusiasm for it. He picked up his iPhone 6 and pressed the home button. “The whole of the display comes on,” he said. “That, to me, feels very, very old.” (The iPhone 6 reached stores two weeks later.) He went on to explain that an Apple Watch uses a new display technology whose blacks are blacker than those in an iPhone’s L.E.D. display. This makes it easier to mask the point where, beneath a glass surface, a display ends and its frame begins. An Apple Watch jellyfish swims in deep space, and becomes, Ive said, as much an attribute of the watch as an image. On a current iPhone screen, a jellyfish would be pinned against dark gray, and framed in black, and, Ive said, have “much less magic.”[/quote]
There is if you want a dark theme on iOS to go with your watch. My eyes are getting tired of the blinding white everywhere in iOS. Yosemite introduced a dark theme so why not iOS too?
There is if you want a dark theme on iOS to go with your watch. My eyes are getting tired of the blinding white everywhere in iOS. Yosemite introduced a dark theme so why not iOS too?
You can do that without OLED though. Obviously Macs don't have it.
@thewhitefalcon you do realize that most color accurate handset display on the market right now that completely trounces the iPhone 6 panel in color reproduction, color accuracy, brightness, dark blacks, power efficiency, and accurate whites is an OLED right? The iPhone 6 was rated 'best LCD of any mobile handset to date' which is OK but this OLED display was rated best handset display to date to ever be on the market... So yeah, there's that. amazingly accurate? Not really - Great compared to other LCD's, pretty accurate and OK when compared to a good OLED.
Yeah, thanks Samsung PR for your comment.
OLED was a decision made primarily for battery life on the Watch, with the secondary benefit that it blends in with the bezel. There's no reason to ditch the amazingly accurate LCD displays they use on the iPhones.
There is if you want a dark theme on iOS to go with your watch. My eyes are getting tired of the blinding white everywhere in iOS. Yosemite introduced a dark theme so why not iOS too?
I don't want a dark theme; just an olive or papyrus one.
I love my iPhone 6+ but have no animosity towards OLED like some here. Both LCD and OLED have their pros and cons so no need to rehash them for the gazillionth time. But for MY personal use and preference, I would like to see Apple move to OLED in the future. In the past there were legitimate reasons not to, but those issues have largely been addressed in the newest OLED displays.
And those deeper blacks are great, but I'd rather have slightly reduced blacks from the start than horribly inaccurate blues because the OLEDs have worn out by the time my 2 year contract is up. My guess with ?Watch is it'll all replaceable.
Perfectly reasonable request, but I don't think that would be on the table until their next UI change, which I have to assume is a few years out. Regardless of the pros and cons of the HW, I'd like to have a darker UI as default, just as [@]Rogifan[/@] mentioned.
I thought OLED was preferable for darker interfaces because of the deeper blacks?
I thought OLED was preferable for darker interfaces because of the deeper blacks?
A lot of the complaints about LCD blacks date back to the old days, back when plasma was still big. They're much better now.
Do we know what type of OLED technology ?Watch is using? is it similae to the Samsung Galaxy displays? I'm hearing that the display on the GS6 is fantastic.
Do we know what type of OLED technology ?Watch is using? is it similae to the Samsung Galaxy displays? I'm hearing that the display on the GS6 is fantastic.
It's LG's latest flexible OLED display, last I heard.
Do we know what type of OLED technology ?Watch is using? is it similae to the Samsung Galaxy displays? I'm hearing that the display on the GS6 is fantastic.
Don't quote me but I think I heard they are using the latest tech from http://www.udcoled.com/
I haven't seen a GS6 display in person yet but the reviews have been pretty impressive. Not dissatisfied with my iPhone display but I think OLED has improved enough to the point that Apple can at least consider it as a replacement. Soli made a good point about resolutions so maybe they are waiting until the iPhone 7 in 2017. I'm in no hurry either way.