Rumor: Samsung now supplying OLED displays for Apple Watch, Apple sampling OLED for future iPhones
Apple is said to have begun diversifying its Apple Watch supply chain, bringing Samsung into the fold for its low-power OLED panels, and potentially paving the way for a next-generation iPhone with an OLED panel, according to a new supply chain rumor.
Previously, LG Display was believed to be the sole OLED supplier for all Apple Watch models. But according to South Korea's ETNews, longtime Apple supplier -- and rival -- Samsung has entered the fray.
If true, the report would dispute an earlier rumor from July, which suggested Apple would stick solely with LG through the second-generation Apple Watch.
In addition, Samsung is also said to be providing sample OLED panels that Apple could use in a future iPhone model. To date, Apple has opted to use LCD technology in all iPhone models.
In the past, Apple has introduced new technologies and features in a singular new product, then gradually brought them to other devices in its ecosystem. If Apple were to do the same with OLED, it could bring new advantages to the iPhone, including longer battery life with a "dark" user interface, as well as a thinner, backlight-free panel design.
Tuesday's report, which was first spotted by DigiTimes, alleges that Apple is expected to make a decision in November about whether to include an OLED display in next year's iPhone. To date, Apple has not opted to use OLED in its blockbuster iPhone lineup due to "various production bottlenecks," the report states.
Until Apple makes its decision, Samsung is reportedly in a holding pattern, waiting to decide whether it will invest further in curved OLED panels at its A3 facilities. Efforts to mass produce that technology are said to be still early.
Finally, it was also said that Apple is cooperating more closely with JDI for "higher-end displays," and that the partnership could result in panels for a 2016 iPhone update.
As for the next Apple Watch, it's unknown when a second-generation model is set to debut, though an update isn't expected until at least 2016. The first-generation Apple Watch debuted this April, followed by watchOS 2 and new colors in September, but supply chain rumors have not yet indicated how frequently Apple plans to update the internal hardware in its wearable lineup.
Previously, LG Display was believed to be the sole OLED supplier for all Apple Watch models. But according to South Korea's ETNews, longtime Apple supplier -- and rival -- Samsung has entered the fray.
If true, the report would dispute an earlier rumor from July, which suggested Apple would stick solely with LG through the second-generation Apple Watch.
In addition, Samsung is also said to be providing sample OLED panels that Apple could use in a future iPhone model. To date, Apple has opted to use LCD technology in all iPhone models.
In the past, Apple has introduced new technologies and features in a singular new product, then gradually brought them to other devices in its ecosystem. If Apple were to do the same with OLED, it could bring new advantages to the iPhone, including longer battery life with a "dark" user interface, as well as a thinner, backlight-free panel design.
Tuesday's report, which was first spotted by DigiTimes, alleges that Apple is expected to make a decision in November about whether to include an OLED display in next year's iPhone. To date, Apple has not opted to use OLED in its blockbuster iPhone lineup due to "various production bottlenecks," the report states.
Until Apple makes its decision, Samsung is reportedly in a holding pattern, waiting to decide whether it will invest further in curved OLED panels at its A3 facilities. Efforts to mass produce that technology are said to be still early.
Finally, it was also said that Apple is cooperating more closely with JDI for "higher-end displays," and that the partnership could result in panels for a 2016 iPhone update.
As for the next Apple Watch, it's unknown when a second-generation model is set to debut, though an update isn't expected until at least 2016. The first-generation Apple Watch debuted this April, followed by watchOS 2 and new colors in September, but supply chain rumors have not yet indicated how frequently Apple plans to update the internal hardware in its wearable lineup.
Comments
LG's WOLED is still better for Internet content. The only reason not going for it would be yield issues.
I think the Apple watch is a testing ground for Apple intention of LG WOLED display. Once they are ready, the whole production line will move to iPhone. And Samsung can have the smaller Apple Watch screen all they want.
Yeah, I have to say that the fact that they included the "In addition, Samsung is also said to be providing sample OLED panels that Apple could use in a future iPhone model" in this rumor calls it's veracity into serious question. Apple's current iPhone display has a far superior image to Samsung's amoLED, why would they consider downgrading?
Seems far more logical that this is a strategically planted puff piece made to prop up samsung's sagging image (the most recent numbers indicating samsung is getting slammed in China and Korea where it was assumed they would always reign supreme) If samsung had been a good OEM partner, this story still might be a tiny bit believable, but samsung has shown again and again they have no honor nor trustworthiness.
?I say this rumor has a near zero possibility of being anything more than an false rumor planted for PR (which samsung has shown time and time again, they have no issue with doing)
OLED is actually just as accurate as LCD (and sometimes more accurate). Go check out the reviews of the latest Samsung displays on Anandtech and Display Mate.
This is a quote from Display Mate's analysis of the display in the Note 5:
"The Galaxy Note 5 matches or breaks new records in Smartphone display performance for:
Highest Absolute Color Accuracy (1.4 JNCD), Highest Peak Brightness (861 nits), Highest Contrast Rating in Ambient Light (183), Highest Screen Resolution (2560x1440), Highest (infinite) Contrast Ratio, and Smallest Brightness Variation with Viewing Angle (24 percent). In addition, almost every display lab test and measurement shows some improvements compared to the Galaxy Note 4, the previous record holder, including slightly lower Screen Reflectance (4.7 percent), an 18 to 23 percent improvement display Brightness, and a 21 percent improvement in display power efficiency, so the Note 5 display actually uses less power than the Note 4 in spite of its much higher brightness."
http://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_Note5_ShootOut_1.htm
Yep, winner of the spec sheet wars. That's why TV sets have a "store mode." Get 'em with bright, saturated colors. I prefer natural looking colors, brightness, and contrast. I want my photos to look as if I'm standing there looking at the original scene. Not interested in teeny-bopper bubblegum color. Not saying any given display technology can't be great. Just saying machine measured specs are a poor way to judge how our analog eyes actually see things.
Oops, meant to quote wake finance from above.
Why? There's not much I like about Samsung but the Galaxy display and camera are really good, I would argue better than the 6S.
I think the camera on the next-gen iPhone is going to be a major upgrade. They bought up that company a while back that specializes in multi-sensor cameras. We might see some kind of implementation of that tech on the iPhone 7. I also hope Apple moves to OLED displays for the next-gen iPhone too.
So, you want a less durable display (colors drift with time). Because yes, they haven't solved that problem yet....
But, samsung phones, nobody really keeps them more than 2.5 years so who cares...
OLED is actually just as accurate as LCD (and sometimes more accurate). Go check out the reviews of the latest Samsung displays on Anandtech and Display Mate.
This is a quote from Display Mate's analysis of the display in the Note 5:
"The Galaxy Note 5 matches or breaks new records in Smartphone display performance for:
Highest Absolute Color Accuracy (1.4 JNCD), Highest Peak Brightness (861 nits), Highest Contrast Rating in Ambient Light (183), Highest Screen Resolution (2560x1440), Highest (infinite) Contrast Ratio, and Smallest Brightness Variation with Viewing Angle (24 percent). In addition, almost every display lab test and measurement shows some improvements compared to the Galaxy Note 4, the previous record holder, including slightly lower Screen Reflectance (4.7 percent), an 18 to 23 percent improvement display Brightness, and a 21 percent improvement in display power efficiency, so the Note 5 display actually uses less power than the Note 4 in spite of its much higher brightness."
http://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_Note5_ShootOut_1.htm
It can be bright, but it will KILL THE GOD DAMN DISPLAY. That's it.
That's why you can't set it a highest brightness manually , you have to go into automatic mode.
In manual mode, max brightness of OLED is much less.
So, no, it's not as bright.
Also, color drift has NOT BEEN SOLVED.
It can only be compensated.
What are you talking about? The measured qualities are exactly what would determine the ability of a display to produce a realistic image. White point, color accuracy, gamma, etc. are either well calibrated or they're not. It doesn't matter whether a display is OLED or LCD; if the display is calibrated properly then images will look natural. OLED, as it turns out, can be better calibrated than an LCD.
Think they'll name it iPhone Pro? ????
I don't see your point. The screen can go into that mode under normal use even if you can't drag the brightness slider far enough to take it there. For the record, the screen on the Note 5 reaches 566 nits with manual adjustment, and even that is higher than the maximum brightness of the iPhone 6, according to Anandtech. They haven't posted results for the 6S or I'd use that for comparison.
My experience of OLED is over saturated eye candy, but not very accurate color. However, if as rogifan mentions, Apple adopted OLED, there would be a strong incentive to offer a dark theme. Some of us would vastly prefer a dark theme, particularly in that awful, blindingly white photos app. Don't think there will be a "big improvement" in the camera though. Diminishing returns. The 6s camera is pretty darn good.
While I haven't personally seen a Galaxy Note 5 yet, of the OLED screens I have seen so far, none really impressed me. I also find them to be over saturated, and greens in particular to be (seemingly) less than accurate.
Evidence of that?
That's not evidence that they degrade after several months. Please cite an analysis of an OLED screen after several months of use.
HDR is a camera function.
The diamond grid that Samsung uses isn't required. That's just what they've chosen to use to solve whatever engineering problems they were faced with. Higher resolutions do, of course, cause the GPU to work harder and could negatively impact battery life, but that's not a characteristic of an OLED display.