Japan Display Planning Mass Production of OLED Displays for iPhones in Early 2018

iPhone-trioApple supplier Japan Display plans to begin mass production of OLED displays for future iPhones in spring 2018, according to Japanese website Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun [Google Translate] (via GforGames).

Japan Display executives are reportedly in negotiations with Apple about securing OLED orders for future iPhones, in an effort to compete with existing OLED panel suppliers Samsung Electronics and LG Display.

Japan Display, a joint venture formed in 2012 by Hitachi, Sony and Toshiba, is one of two major LCD display suppliers for current iPhones alongside rival Japanese company Sharp. Apple has used LCD panels for iPhones since the original model launched in 2007.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported last month that iPhones are unlikely to have OLED displays for at least the next three years, and Japanese website Nikkei confirmed that Apple plans to switch to OLED displays for iPhones starting in 2018. Apple may continue to offer some iPhone models with LCD displays to fulfill demand.

OLED displays can provide sharper images, better color accuracy and brighter colors compared to LCD displays, but the technology generally has a shorter lifespan and higher manufacturing costs. Samsung's popular Galaxy-branded smartphones are equipped with AMOLED displays, as is the Apple Watch.

Should these supply chain rumors prove true, the so-called "iPhone 8" could be released in late 2018 as Apple's first smartphone equipped with an OLED display, based on the company's current naming and release cycle.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
apple intelligence black

Report: Apple's AI Strategy Could Finally Pay Off in 2026

Tuesday December 30, 2025 9:01 am PST by
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues. The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
apple fitness 2026 1

Apple Teases 'Something Big' Coming Soon to Apple Fitness+

Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+. What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year? Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+ The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here 2026 Plans Still Under ...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...
macbook air march 2020

Apple Says Final Intel MacBook Air and Apple Watch Series 5 Now 'Vintage'

Wednesday December 31, 2025 8:39 am PST by
Apple today added the final 13-inch MacBook Air powered by Intel processors, the Apple Watch Series 5, and additional products to its vintage products list. The iPhone 11 Pro was also added to the list after the iPhone 11 Pro Max was added back in September. The full list of products added to Apple's vintage and obsolete list today: MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) iPhone 8 Plus 128GB ...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...

Top Rated Comments

J. Jizzle Avatar
132 months ago
By the time iPhones get OLED displays there will already be a new screen technology out other manufacturers will be using...
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
132 months ago
"Apple is playing catchup"
"LCD is good enough!"
"That's too long to wait"
"Steve Jobs wouldn't let this happen"

This should cover most of the comments in this thread.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iPhysicist Avatar
132 months ago
3 years in technology is like 20 human years for a dog. It's of no interest what will be by then.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
melgross Avatar
132 months ago
AMOLED displays don't have brighter colors unless they're not calibrated. They are less efficient than LCD displays under normal use. They do have a shorter lifetime, especially in the blue, but also in the green. They do have "burn-in".

They most certainly do NOT look sharper. In fact, in order for Samsung's SAMOLED displays to look AS sharp. They need 33% higher resolution, which is why their displays have such a high resolution. The reason for that is because AMOLED displays are significantly less bright, and so they add an extra green site to the pixel, making the pixel bigger. Complaints have been that their displays look coarse and grainy. Raising the resolution eliminates that problem, but leads to another one. Now they need a GPU with 33% more power, and greater battery use to make up for the larger number of pixels.

Hopefully, if Apple does go this route, in 2018, the displays they use will have solved these problems. The only advantage to using an AMOLED display right now is the greater blacks and the fact that it's thinner. I'd hate to think that Apple is really mostly concerned with making the phones even thinner, while giving in to the other problems.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lexdexia Avatar
132 months ago
How anyone can call the iPhone a flagship phone with its devastating inferior hardware is beyond me. OLED in 2018? And then most likely still only 1080P. Absolutely laughable. There's just no excuse for it at this price point. When looking for an OEM to push the industry and consumers into the future, Apple definitely will never be the one.
I have no idea what kind of future you're envisioning. I thought the future was about making life easier by taking highly advanced technology and making it so simple a kid could pick it up and use it. Not about selling people bleeding edge hardware that looks impressive on some spec sheet but seldom improve the user experience in any way.

Certainly, millions of people must find the outdated LCD display tech of the iPhone to be a worthwhile trade off compared to the competition. How else would you explain Samsung's plummeting smartphone influence?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Goff Avatar
132 months ago
How anyone can call the iPhone a flagship phone with its devastating inferior hardware is beyond me. OLED in 2018? And then most likely still only 1080P. Absolutely laughable. There's just no excuse for it at this price point. When looking for an OEM to push the industry and consumers into the future, Apple definitely will never be the one.
Resolution for the sake of resolution is pointless.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)