5.8-Inch iPhone Expected to Have Flat Display Despite 'Curved' Rumors

Apple is widely expected to launch an iPhone with a 5.8-inch edge-to-edge OLED display later this year, made possible by slimmer bezels and no Home button. And while some reports have claimed the screen will be curved like the Galaxy S7 edge, a growing number of sources expect a flat display.

iphone display
"We anticipate Apple will adopt a flat implementation of OLED design on their special iPhone model, which is analogous to the current 2.5D glass design," IHS Markit analyst Wayne Lam told MacRumors today.

"Much like the recently announced LG G6, we anticipate a touchscreen with a new longer aspect ratio design to take advantage of higher coverage area of the iPhone in its entirety. This new design language is expected to become the trend for 2017, as we all anticipate Samsung's reveal later this month," he added.

Lam is referring to the LG G6's 5.7-inch LCD display with a 2:1 aspect ratio, meaning the screen's length is double the size of its width. iPhones have a 16:9 aspect ratio. Leaked pictures of Samsung's Galaxy S8 reveal a similarly longer OLED display with slim bezels and no physical home button.

Last month, he noted that the LG G6 achieves a large screen while remaining holdable and pocketable:

LG’s G6 is a study in creating large immersive screen designs that do not break the ergonomic requirements of the average human hand. By addressing dueling consumer demands for larger screens but yet more pocketable device, LG took on the challenge of re-imagining what a modern smartphone should look like and function ergonomically.

While he ruled out having any insider information, display expert Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate told MacRumors that flat OLED displays using a glass substrate "cost considerably less" and are "available in much higher production volumes" than curved OLED displays using a flexible plastic substrate.

"The existing iPhone 7 has 2.5D cover glass with a flat glass LCD display, so Apple could make a similar 2.5D OLED display using a glass substrate OLED display at lower cost and much higher production volumes," he said.

Soneira has been tracking OLED displays in smartphones since 2010, and after a span of just seven years, he believes OLED display technology is now exceeding the performance of the best LCDs for smartphones.

He said OLED displays provide a number of significant advantages over LCDs for smartphones, including being thinner, lighter, and more power efficient for most image content. OLED displays also have a very fast response time, better viewing angles, higher peak brightness, and often better color accuracy.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Chinese research firm TrendForce have also recently said they expect Apple's next flagship iPhone to have 2.5D cover glass, which refers to the slightly curved edges that the front of iPhones have had since the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 2014.

Conversely, The Wall Street Journal recently said Apple's next high-end iPhone will have a curved screen, but the report did not divulge any specific details. The Korea Herald also said the device will have a curved OLED display using a flexible plastic substrate, rather than a flat display based on glass.

IHS Markit analyst Kevin Wang previously expected the 5.8-inch iPhone to have a curved display, possibly with dual curved edges like the Galaxy S7 edge, but the research firm has since reversed course, which is understandable given Apple has reportedly tested at least ten different iPhone prototypes this year.

Japanese website Nikkei Asian Review and Barclays analysts have also outlined expectations for an iPhone with a curved display in the past, so there is clearly a divide between the rumors that might not clear up until "iPhone 8" part leaks likely begin to surface over the coming weeks and months.

One possibility is that reports calling for a "curved" screen are actually referring to the 2.5D cover glass, which would make an edge-to-edge display appear slightly curved. Or, given the flexible properties of OLED, some reports might be simply assuming the next iPhone will have a curved display, when a flat design is still an option.

Samsung is expected to supply Apple with OLED displays in 2017. IHS Markit and other sources expect Apple to use OLED on a larger number of iPhone models in the future. IHS noted the longer aspect ratio will afford Apple new uses of the display, such as Touch Bar-like functionality.

Tag: IHS
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
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...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...

Top Rated Comments

BSben Avatar
109 months ago
I hope they do stick with flat, curved has no advantage whatsoever. Why would I want to look at curved pictures or videos?
Score: 68 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nighthawk67 Avatar
109 months ago
The more I read MR articles about the next iPhone the more I realize they're like "we don't ******* know"
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Scottsoapbox Avatar
109 months ago
Because a curved display is stupid.
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AbSoluTc Avatar
109 months ago
I actually welcome the curved display. It can add another dimension to the OS - and we all know iOS needs another dimension.
No thanks. Have you seen the curved screen of the Galaxy phones? It's terrible. Wasted screen real estate and it looks distorted. It's a gimmick, just like curved TV's. Serves no useful purpose no matter how you slice it.

I'll take flat please.
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kiko007 Avatar
109 months ago
I actually welcome the curved display. It can add another dimension to the OS - and we all know iOS needs another dimension.
No it doesn't. The last thing iOS needs is more garbage disguised as "features". You don't speak for ALL of us lol....
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
eatrains Avatar
109 months ago
How about a flagship small phone one of these days?
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)