iPhone OLED Screen Rumor Rekindles Curved Display Speculation
Posted by Michael Nace on Wednesday Apr 4, 2012 Under iPhone 5 Rumor
A recent rumor out of Korea suggesting that Samsung is producing OLED screens for the iPhone 5 harkens back to speculation that Apple’s next iPhone could have a curved, convex display.
As we’ve noted here on the blog throughout 2012, very few of currently rumored features for the iPhone 5 are anything new: most of what we’re hearing are recycled rumors from 2011. today, a report is coming out of Korea that Samsung is producing OLED displays for the iPhone 5. According to IBT, “The Korea Times recently reported that Samsung has increased the production of the OLED screen for the new iPhone.”
Amazingly, iPhone 5 News Blog columnist Charles Moore prognosticated the possibility of a curved glass display back on May 24th, predicting that the technology debut on an iPhone in 2012. Charles’ predictions continue to be impressively accurate.
Thus, if this new OLED production rumor proves to be true, then it shows that Apple is putting into production a patent for an AMOLED screen that we reported on in July of last year. In that article, we also reported that Samsung — the worldwide leader in AMOLED technology — would be the default producer of any OLED screens for the iPhone 5. They began showcasing the AMOLED technology back in 2010: “At the 2010 CES, “Samsung demonstrated a laptop computer with a large, transparent OLED display featuring up to 40% transparency and an animated OLED display in a photo ID card” (from Wikipedia), and are now rolling out their Super AMOLED Plus displays, which utilize “real stripe matrix (50% more sub pixels), thinner form factor, brighter image and a 18% reduction in energy consumption.”
The immediate benefits of switching the iPhone’s display from LCD to AMOLED is that it uses less energy and takes up less space. But perhaps the most compelling reason to use AMOLED is that it is completely flexible; you can craft curved and bendable screens with it. You might recall photos of future iPhones that could be as thin as a credit card and fit in your wallet. While that sort of design is most likely not forthcoming on the iPhone 5 this year, the use of an OLED screen could allow Apple to give the iPhone 5 a curved, convex display that “wraps” around the user’s head when making a call, thus improving signal clarity.
The rumor of a curved screen was well documented in 2011, when Apple reportedly invested in expensive glass-cutting machines, ostensibly to craft complex, curved displays (and perhaps other body components) for the iPhone 5. Obviously, those glass cutting machines were not utilized in the iPhone 4S’s production, since it simply reprised the iPhone 4′s form factor and dimensions. But if the glass-cutting machine rumors are true — together with these late-breaking rumors of Samsung producing OLED screens for the iPhone 5 — we very well may see a curvier iPhone this year.
Note: Wikipedia describes the difference between the OLED and AMOLED acronyms thusly: “AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) is a display technology for use in mobile devices and televisions. OLED describes a specific type of thin-film display technology in which organic compounds form the electroluminescent material, and active matrix refers to the technology behind the addressing of pixels.”
By Michael Nace
Michael Nace is the Publisher of the iPhone 5 News Blog and iPhone 6 News Blog. He has published articles about the iPhone since 2010.
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April 4th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
For me Apple and especially the iPhone is a lot about the user experience. On that note, not sure how a curved shape would fit into our pockets. Awkward? On the other hand, a curved phone could definitely easier to handle with a firm grip while talking or texting…Interesting! Either ways..i hope it has lots of bells and whistles to make my wait fruitful…literally!!…I had to hide my wallet and throw away the keys to keep myself from giving into buying the 4S!!
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April 4th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
Are they going to curve the PC boards inside too? Having pulled my 3GS apart to change the battery (thrice), room is not at a premium in there.
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April 4th, 2012 at 8:47 pm
Oh I would cry tears of joy if the iPhone 5 had an OLED screen, ESPECIALLY if Samsung is making them. You know, when Apple announced their flexible battery technology, I thought that would be the big piece of the puzzle if they wanted a phone that the user could mold. Since OLED are printed they can be made of anything, including flexible plastics. There will be components that can’t flex for sure, but if you can keep them in the middle of the device the outer ends of the device (top and bottom) could be bent to fit the situation. Maybe not flexibility would be needed, but maybe just enough to mold like a phone shape when making a call or enough to wrap around your arm the other way? Maybe too soon for te iPhone 5, but the necessary pieces are falling into place.
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April 4th, 2012 at 10:39 pm
OLED yes! Curve NO!
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April 4th, 2012 at 11:47 pm
These phones will never come with bendable screens until the WHOLE phone can bend
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April 5th, 2012 at 5:32 am
I do like the screen on the Samsung Galaxy S2, it’s a great feature and if that colour quality could be brought to the iPhone 5 then it’d look fantastic. Not so sure about the curved screen though. I’d have to try it first before making a decision.
A new form factor is in the offing though and I can’t wait to see what it is going to be.
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April 9th, 2012 at 6:31 pm
No WAY the phone itself will be curved like in the photo above.
Imagine trying to use the phone when it’s on a table, like most people do when they are eating?
The only way it could work is if there was a hinged piece that pops out of the back at the top to stabilize it, but that would be so incredibly inelegant and nowhere near something Apple would consider, giving their design aesthetics until now.
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