All iPhones Now Feature OLED Displays - MacRumors
Skip to Content

All iPhones Now Feature OLED Displays

by

Apple's new iPhone 16e adopts the design and display of the iPhone 14, which means it has an OLED display instead of an LCD display. With the debut of the iPhone 16e and the discontinuation of the prior iPhone SE, Apple has eliminated LCD displays from the iPhone lineup.

iphone 16e display
All of the iPhones that Apple sells have an OLED display, and LCD technology has been phased out.

Apple first began using OLED displays for iPhone models in 2017 with the launch of the iPhone X, and for the next few years, Apple released iPhones with a mix of OLED and LCD display technology. In 2020, Apple stopped using LCD displays for its flagship iPhone lineup, and the iPhone 12 models and subsequent iPhones all had OLED displays.

The iPhone SE has always been marketed as a separate, low-cost device that isn't part of the flagship line, and the two previous iPhone SE models used the design and components from the iPhone 8. The iPhone 8 had an LCD display, so Apple has kept around the legacy LCD technology for the more affordable iPhone SE, until this year's iPhone 16e.

Apple calls its OLED displays "Super Retina XDR displays" and compared to LCD, the OLED technology offers improved contrast, more vibrant and saturated colors, better brightness, and a higher resolution. OLED displays support HDR, so this is the first time a low-cost iPhone will offer HDR.

The iPhone 16e has the same display as the iPhone 14, featuring 800 nits max brightness and 1200 nits peak HDR brightness. It's a step down from the iPhone 16 display, which offers 1000 nits max brightness, 1600 nits peak HDR brightness, and 2000 nits outdoor peak brightness.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.5 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 5:09 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...
Read Full Article • 66 comments
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
Read Full Article • 40 comments
Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro May Have 'Aggressive' Starting Price Despite RAM Crisis

Tuesday May 12, 2026 6:53 am PDT by
While the ongoing RAM chip shortage is leading some Android smartphone makers to increase prices, one analyst believes that Apple will take advantage of the situation with the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. In a research note with GF Securities today, analyst Jeff Pu said he expects Apple to outperform in the smartphone market by having an "aggressive pricing strategy" for the ...
Read Full Article • 54 comments

Top Rated Comments

pinkkie Avatar
pinkkie
16 months ago
Up next:
– All iPhones Now Feature FaceID
– Apple No Longer Offers iPhone With TouchID
– Apple Discontinues All Lightning Port iPhones
– All New iPhones Now Feature USB-C Charging
– Apple Discontinues iPhones Without Face ID
– iPhone Lineup No Longer Includes Models With Rectangular Displays
– No More Round Edges on iPhones
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H
HVDynamo
16 months ago

I really hate to pile on today, but if you look at other manufacturers phones, they seem to have rapidly improved their screens and are bettering iPhones across the board. OLED's are great, don't get me wrong, but they really need a resolution bump at a minimum.
They really don't. The resolution is fine for the sizes. Higher resolution will just put more strain on the GPU and power which will lead to shorter battery life. Resolution-wise the displays are fine and don't need to go higher.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JLOAKS Avatar
JLOAKS
16 months ago
And just like that PWM sensitive people are out of luck on iPhones.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anshuvorty Avatar
anshuvorty
16 months ago

Good, now the next step is for the whole lineup to have 120 hz Promotion displays.
LOL, that will be in another 10 years
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1796677 Avatar
1796677
16 months ago
Sad that a low cost iPhone is now gone : /
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H
HVDynamo
16 months ago

Just have to agree to disagree. The displays have slipped from best on phones to simply just very good.
But what good is a better tech spec if you can't actually see the difference in practical use? More resolution is pointless if you can't see the pixels as it is now. Sure maybe if you stick your face right up to the phone you might be able to see the pixels now, but who actually uses their phones like that?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments