The iPhone 8 is over a year off and one of the main features that the device is expected to carry is an alleged OLED display screen. Right now all the attention is on the minimally upgraded iPhone 7 but display manufacturing companies like LG may be looking ahead.
At some point, LG will have to lean towards that direction anyway as it hopes to have ample supply of OLEDs by 2017. Han Sang Beom admits that LG is a bit late in the OLED market, something he foresees taking off in the coming years.
"It's true that we were late in OLED investment for smaller electronics devices compared to that of televisions," Han said via Bloomberg. "It's undeniable that flexible OLEDs are now the mega-trend in the mobile segment and we will have to embrace that."
Dropping LCD market
Apple continues to cling on to LCD displays but the reality of it all is that decreasing iPhone sales are a concern. Most have started to shift to newer displays such as OLED and the trend will eventually be headed in that direction.
Han adds that OLED displays account for just 10% of the LG’s display revenues. Regardless, the company is considering a gradual shift to the niche seeing how rival company Samsung is doing the same via Apple Insider. The reason seen behind Apple’s shift is tied up to the growing rumor of the iPhone 8 sporting a new OLED or AMOLED display.
Looking to 2018
Given the time frame, LG is likely to miss out being one of Apple’s suppliers by next year. Their best chances is to make up by 2018 assuming Apple does indeed change their traditional iPhone LCD displays to the much talked about OLED/ AMOLED displays.
With answers to that more than a year off, all eyes will be on the iPhone 7. It may have minimal enhancements but is still something worth checking out this September.
