Future iPhones Expected to Adopt Apple Watch's Low-Power LTPO Display Technology

Apple plans to use a low-power backplane technology called LTPO for future iPhones, according to Korean website The Elec. The backplane is responsible for turning individual pixels on and off on the display.

series 5 ltpo
From the report:

Apple, meanwhile, is moving to more widely apply LTPO panels to its iPhones. This means it needs to find ways to work together with Samsung Display, which is holding its own in terms of both technological prowess and production capacity in the small and mid-sized OLED sector.

LTPO, or low-temperature polycrystalline oxide, has an Oxide TFT structure that uses up to 15 percent less power than LTPS, or low-temperature polysilicon, the backplane technology that Apple currently uses. Naturally, that could contribute to longer battery life on future iPhones.

Apple Watch Series 4 and Series 5 models already feature LTPO displays. Apple's website says the technology enables Series 5 models to have the same up-to-18-hour battery life as Series 4 models despite having an always-on display:

The low temperature poly-silicon and oxide display features a reinvented pixel architecture that lets the screen refresh rate dip from 60Hz to a power-sipping 1Hz when the watch is inactive. A new low-power driver, ultra-efficient power management, and a new ambient light sensor work together so the display can stay always on with up to 18 hours of battery life.

Apple's transition to OLED started small with the original Apple Watch in 2015, followed by the iPhone X in 2017, so it would not be surprising if LTPO expands from the Watch to the ‌iPhone‌ as early as next year.

Related Roundup: iPhone 12
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

G5isAlive Avatar
45 months ago

I just hope they would have ironed out any possible battery impacts by then.
What battery impacts? Nothing is free... even power sipping is, well, power sipping. It IS going to use power when always on. If you don't like that, you can turn off 'always on.' Problem solved. Physics.

Edit: I like 'always on' on my Series 5 and accept it might drain the power slightly faster. Not a real life problem for me. But when I fly overseas I turn it off to get the last bit of power out.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chris4565 Avatar
45 months ago
Next year‘s iPhone is shaping up to be a really compelling hardware upgrade if all the rumors will come true: 120 Hz display, 2-way charging, USB-C, 5G, Time of Flight sensor, a new frame design and now this. Really looking forward to the 2020 iPhones.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dorsal Avatar
45 months ago
No - Not longer battery life - smaller (cheaper) battery for the same life.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kirk.vino Avatar
45 months ago

Wait the 4 and 5 have this tech? So is the battery the only reason the 4 doesn't have always on?
Didn’t the teardowns reveal that both models have the exact same battery? I’m pretty sure it’s just typical Apple holding back on those software upgrades in order to sell the newer model.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pakaku Avatar
45 months ago
Knowing Apple, they will reduce the battery size and make it thinner instead of passing on the higher battery live.
Considering this is a watch, I think I'm more willing to accept battery compromises for the sake of a flatter body
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sub150 Avatar
45 months ago

Where did this say they are going to be always-on displays? I just got the impression they plan to use the lower power displays in general for what would amount to a decent amount of battery savings.

Knowing Apple, they will reduce the battery size and make it thinner instead of passing on the higher battery live.
Considering they have increased thickness and battery size for a few years now, I think are actually listening to customer and prioritizing it. What it will likely enable is 5G radio usage to get the same battery life as LTE where Android phones may have to take a big hit.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Low-Energy Chip to Allow Solid-State Buttons to Work When Device is Off or Out of Battery

Wednesday March 29, 2023 1:54 am PDT by
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will use a new ultra-low energy microprocessor allowing certain features like the new capacitive solid-state buttons to remain functional even when the handset is powered off or the battery has run out, according to a source that shared details on the MacRumors forums. CAD-based render of new solid-state buttons on iPhone 15 Pro models The source of this rumor is ...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2023 Event Taking Place June 5 to 9

Wednesday March 29, 2023 9:58 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 34th annual Worldwide Developers Conference will take place from Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 9. Like WWDC 2020, 2021, and 2022, WWDC 2023 will be an online event for the most part, and it will be open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple will provide online sessions and labs, which will allow...
iPhone 15 Pro Multi Purpose button Mute Switch Feature Green 2

iPhone 15 Pro Rumored to Feature Multi-Use Action Button Instead of Mute Switch

Wednesday March 29, 2023 7:28 am PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models are rumored to feature a customizable Action button like the Apple Watch Ultra, according to a MacRumors forum member who leaked accurate details about the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models last year. The source claimed the Action button will replace the Ring/Silent switch that has been included on every iPhone model since 2007. They did not...
iOS 16

Apple Releases iOS 16.4 With New Emoji, Safari Web Push Notifications, Beta Changes, Voice Isolation for Calls and More

Monday March 27, 2023 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 16.4, the fourth major update to the iOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. iOS 16.4 comes two months after the launch of iOS 16.3, an update that added Security Keys for Apple ID. iOS 16‌.4 and iPadOS 16.4 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes...
Apple Music Classical

Apple Explains Why It Launched an iPhone App Dedicated to Classical Music

Monday March 27, 2023 8:54 pm PDT by
Apple today published a support document explaining why it decided to release a standalone Apple Music Classical app for classical music. In short, Apple says the app was designed to support classical music's complex metadata:Classical music is different. It has longer and more detailed titles, multiple artists for each work, and hundreds of recordings of well-known pieces. The Apple Music...
iOS 16

Apple Seeds First Betas of iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5

Tuesday March 28, 2023 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a day after the launch of iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4. Registered developers can opt in to the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option and toggling on the iOS 16 Developer Beta. Note that an...
home upgrade available feature

PSA: Apple Has Made Its New Home Architecture Update Available Again

Tuesday March 28, 2023 1:50 am PDT by
Apple has made the option to upgrade to new Home architecture available again with the release of iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3, after it temporarily pulled the update in December. After updating Apple devices to the latest software, users can once again opt to upgrade any homes set up in the Home app to the new Home architecture, which Apple says brings faster, more reliable ...