Apple Orders Display Driver Chips From Synaptics for Next iPhones

Apple has placed LCD display driver orders with touchscreen supplier Synaptics for its next-generation iPhones, indicating the Cupertino-based company's in-house development of touch and display driver integration (TDDI) chips may have fallen behind schedule, according to Taiwanese website DigiTimes.

iPhone-7-Martin-Hajek

iPhone 7 concept with integrated Touch ID by designer Martin Hajek

Synaptics acquired Renesas SP Drivers, reportedly the sole supplier of LCD driver ICs for iPhones, in September 2014 in an effort to maintain orders from Apple, and for now it appears the iPhone maker will remain one of its customers. The supplier also works with Google, HTC, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony and other smartphone makers.

Apple previously recruited senior Renesas engineers to internally develop TDDI chips with Touch ID integrated into the display. The single-chip solution could allow for the Home button to be eliminated on future iOS devices, but Apple ordering regular display drivers from Synaptics indicates the technology may not be ready for the iPhone 7.

Apple has filed multiple patents for displays with integrated Touch ID and trackpad capabilities over the past few years, and the iPhone 7 lineup is due for a significant redesign, but it remains too early to predict whether Apple will ever remove its iconic Home button on future iPhones.

In March, Synaptics announced the first TDDI single-chip solutions for smartphones and tablets, allowing for thinner and brighter displays with best-in-class capacitive touch performance. The reduced number of components, fewer lamination steps and increased manufacturing yield of TDDI chips also lowers production costs.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 17 Models Rumored to Feature Redesigned Dynamic Island

Monday July 7, 2025 7:38 am PDT by
iPhone 17 models will feature a redesigned Dynamic Island user interface, according to a post today from Digital Chat Station, an account with more than three million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The account has accurately leaked some information regarding future Apple products in the past. The account did not share any specific details about the alleged changes that are ...

Top Rated Comments

AppleWarMachine Avatar
126 months ago
nice concept...i like :)
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sshambles Avatar
126 months ago
Hard to see them ditching the home button to be honest. Wouldn't be the same replacing it with a software version. Especially when apps crash and are unresponsive to any software inputs.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LordVic Avatar
126 months ago
driver, shmivers. use whatever.

That Concept design is the sex.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghost187 Avatar
126 months ago
Here is a list of things I'm looking forward to in iPhone 7:

1.) Significant reduction in top and bottom bezel (they can relocate the home button to the side and incorporate Touch ID onto the screen).

2.) Get rid of the camera hump (this can be done by using multiple camera sensors).

3.) Get rid of the ugly antenna lines (by bringing back the glass inserts from iPhone 5).

4.) Switch to an OLED display (I bought an LG OLED TV last year and nothing even comes close to it's picture quality).

Well, according to all the rumors so far, non of these will happen next year, so I am probably describing iPhone 8. :(
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jsameds Avatar
126 months ago
What do you like about it? I've never been a fan of this guys mockups. Not much imagination. I mean two years ago his TV mockups featured a box with chamfered edges and a remote that looked like a skinny iPhone 5.
You need your eyes testing, the concept in the picture looks amazing! The mockups look better than the retail devices IMO. Here's the ATV one you mentioned, followed by what we got.


Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
melendezest Avatar
126 months ago
Miss Steve here:
"customers don't know what they want until we've shown them!"

and Henry Ford:
“if I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
I'm sorry but am I the only one who is sick of hearing those quotes?

In an era of "revolution" it makes sense, but the adage does not apply every time, especially in the context of current Apple products.

The revolution already happened (the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad). What we have here now are "mature" products that will not fundamentally change.

I know what I want:

I want multiple user accounts on mobile devices
I want more RAM in sealed/mobile devices, not the bare minimum
I want access to the file system in mobile devices
I want ease of connectivity and compatibility (as in NOT proprietary)
I want to install whichever OS version I prefer (or at least revert to the one that came with my device)
I want portable computers with upgradeable components (RAM, HD)
I want desktop computers with upgradeable components (at least Graphics Cards, RAM, HDs)

Curerntly, Apple does NONE of the above.

I'm all for innovation and revolution, but not at the expense of functionality in the current environment.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)