Apple Reportedly Requested Samsung to Use More Advanced Production Method for iPhone 14 Pro Displays

To create the iPhone 14 Pro's display with the pill-shaped cutout at the top, Apple requested that Samsung, the company's leading display supplier, use a more advanced production method that would protect the surrounding display from possible damage and loss of image quality, according to a new report by The Elec.

iPhone 14 Pros in Hand Black Background Feature
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are the first iPhones to feature a cutout directly within the display, unlike other iPhones, which have a notch protruding downward from the top bezel. The report says Apple asked Samsung to use additional inkjet equipment when producing its high-end iPhone displays to create the cutout while preserving the surrounding OLED panel.

To create the pill-shaped cutout within the display, Samsung must drill the pill-shaped hole directly within the OLED panel, but doing so means there is a possibility the surrounding pixels and panels could get damaged and, if so, exposed to moisture and oxygen. To prevent possible exposure to moisture and oxygen, the report says Samsung built a dam that separated the pill-shaped cutout from the surrounding pixels. From a machine-translated copy of the report:

This is because of the first hole display applied to the iPhone 14 Pro lineup. To make a hole for the front camera lens, etc, at the top of the OLED screen, a hole must be drilled in the post-process (module process). If the thin film encapsulation is damaged, the OLED is exposed to moisture and oxygen, and the life span of the product is drastically shortened.

For this reason, Samsung Display is known to have used inkjet equipment to build a dam that separates the hole from the rest of the area after making thin film encapsulation and touch electrodes in the iPhone 14 Pro lineup OLED, and to flatten areas with uneven heights. Samsung Display was able to carry out this process using a laser rather than inkjet equipment, but it is said that Apple preferred the inkjet method.

Samsung has extensive experience in producing displays, including those with cutouts. The company's own line of smartphone feature single hole-punch cutouts that house the front-facing camera. With the iPhone 14 Pro, however, the report suggests Apple took extra care with the production of the displays for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max to ensure the cutout wouldn't interfere with the surrounding pixels and degrade image quality.

The Elec says LG Display, Apple's other display supplier, also used the same method for its batch of displays for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus feature the same display notch as previous iPhones, but the lower-end models of next year's iPhone lineup are rumored to feature the same pill-shaped cutout for Dynamic Island as the iPhone 14 Pro.

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Top Rated Comments

537635 Avatar
33 months ago

Dynamic island is honestly pretty useless. It’s a glorified animation for What used to take up half of your screen
Dynamic islands contains all the advanced biometric sensors and front camera. The whole "animation" is there only to make it less obvious that part of the front panel is not used for display.

Dynamic island wasn't supposed to be useful. It's just there until tech advances enough so all of the sensors can be under the display.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
magicschoolbus Avatar
33 months ago
Dynamic island is honestly pretty useless. It’s a glorified animation for What used to take up half of your screen
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IIGS User Avatar
33 months ago
My initial take away from this article is how impressive the design and manufacturing has become. I know a lot of people despise the notch, and some don't like dynamic island (the notch never bothered me, and my main complaint with dynamic island is it's not really living up to its potential).

But the level of precision and attention to detail that goes into making these products real, durable, and affordable to a mass market just amazes me.

I grew up in the 80's with a lot of stuff that came from the tail end of the 70's (cars, computers, electronics) and man the stuff they made back then was just such dog feces in comparison.

Things like the Apple Watch, the latest phones, and the raw computing power of the latest Apple silicon Macs just leaves me in awe of where this tech has gone in the past 20 years.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
33 months ago
The most advanced smartphone display in iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max up to date.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IsaacM Avatar
33 months ago

Aside from the pill cutout technique, Samsung used its latest OLED generation in the 14 Pro. The M12 vs the M11 in the 13 Pro. And to my eagle eye it’s a very apparent difference. The clarity on the 14 Pro vs the 13 Pro, is night and day. The 13 looks almost fuzzy when you look closely and compare them. Also colors are still quite vibrant at lower brightnesses which is a first.
Yes, this is the one thing I didnt expect when updating from my 13PM to 14PM. The screen is so much more crisp and vibrant!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
upandown Avatar
33 months ago
Aside from the pill cutout technique, Samsung used its latest OLED generation in the 14 Pro. The M12 vs the M11 in the 13 Pro. And to my eagle eye it’s a very apparent difference. The clarity on the 14 Pro vs the 13 Pro, is night and day. The 13 looks almost fuzzy when you look closely and compare them. Also colors are still quite vibrant at lower brightnesses which is a first.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)