OLED Display Rumored to Finally Come to iPhone SE

OLED display technology could finally come to the iPhone SE when the device is refreshed, according to insightful display analyst Ross Young.

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Young recently said that Apple is mulling over multiple decisions related to the display size of the next-generation ‌iPhone SE‌, including the display technology that the device will use. Young explained that the 5.7- to 6.1-inch displays being considered by Apple feature LCD technology, just like the current ‌iPhone SE‌, but the company is also weighing up simply opting for a 6.1-inch OLED display, the likes of which have been offered on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13.

SE 4 render 3Fourth-generation ‌iPhone SE‌ concept render by Ian Zelbo based on purported leaked information

The iPhone X launched in 2017 as the first OLED ‌iPhone‌, and ever since the launch of the ‌iPhone 12‌ in 2020, all of Apple's main ‌iPhone‌ models feature OLED displays. OLED display technology is more expensive than LCD, but it offers better efficiency, "true" blacks, high contrast, and high dynamic range. It is possible that OLED panels have come down in price sufficiently for Apple to use them for the ‌iPhone SE‌, which is positioned as an entry-level device, especially as it is not expected to launch until 2024.

Chinese site MyDrivers and and leaker Jon Prosser believe that the ‌iPhone SE‌ is set to move to an ‌iPhone‌ XR-like design in its next incarnation, which would involve eliminating the Home button and adding a "notch" cutout at the top of the display. The change seems likely since Apple's "SE" products have always used the designs of older devices.