iPhones may sport OLEDs in 2020, Apple readies to say goodbye to LCD screens: Report

Apple may ditch the Retina LCD screens in favour of OLED displays in next year’s iPhone models. During Apple’s last launch, the iPhone XR was the only model with an LCD, with both the iPhone XS and XS Max featuring OLED screens.

An LCD screen is illuminated with a standalone backlight, while each pixel on an OLED screen lights up individually. Not having to use an external light source to illuminate the display will allow for greater design flexibility. The OLED screen will also offer better colour reproduction than its LCD counterpart.

Samsung remains the world’s biggest OLED display provider, which could justify Apple’s slow shift to adopt OLED screens in their iPhones. However, Apple could soon land a second supplier for OLED screens in the form of LG Display Co, which will reduce Apple’s dependence on Samsung Electronics Co. to provide OLED screens for their iPhones. This will also help Apple negotiate pricing with Samsung, possibly allowing them to lower the price of the next-generation of iPhones.

A successful supply deal between Apple and LG would help both companies gain headway against Samsung. LG Display has been heavily investing in the future of display technology, which could provide higher colour accuracy coupled with a slimmer profile. And, Apple could leverage this new technology in future models of the iPhone.

When Apple released the iPhone XR with an LCD as their budget option, the company expected demand for the XR to skyrocket. However, quarterly phone sales were lower than expected, as consumers didn’t see the upside of paying $750 (Notwithstanding the tax added in their respective countries) for a phone that didn’t support 1080p resolution, especially considering the flurry of mid-range smartphones that supported 1440p resolution at under $500.