OLED Supply Could Be Limited For Next Year’s iPhone Model

It is widely expected that ‘iPhone 8’, scheduled to be released at some point next year, will come in three variants, with one model featuring an OLED screen instead of the LCD display for more saturated colors, sharper images, and better contrast.

However, the latest reports suggest that it will be difficult to bring the technology onto the anniversary edition iPhone as there will still be a limited supply of such panels in the coming year.

According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, supply of the new OLED displays for iPhones will be very limited and the demand can only be met in the year that follows. This comes after earlier speculations about the OLED display being limited to only one of the three variants of next year’s iPhone models.

“Most OLED capacities will only come in 2018 or beyond,” says the Wall Street Journal.

Currently, OLED display suppliers including Samsung Display Co, LG Display Co, Sharp Corp, and Japan Display Inc are still working to scale up manufacturing of the displays.

Although Samsung is rumored to be the sole supplier for the new displays for Apple next year, it might be difficult for the South Korea-based manufacturer to make enough displays due to low yield rates combined with increasing iPhone demand.

The WSJ notes that going forward, LCD displays will get even cheaper while OLED becomes competitively priced. “Samsung, a technology leader with better yields, could withstand lower prices. An increase in OLED supply will also depress LCD prices, since they are basically substitutes,” reads the report.