Apple’s 2029 “Pro” iPhones could adopt thinner, more energy-efficient OLED displays, according to UBI Research.
The technology, known as Color Filter on Encapsulation (CoE), removes the conventional polarizer from the OLED panel and places a color filter directly on top of its encapsulation layer. A polarizer helps remove reflections from ambient light, but it also absorbs a significant portion of the light produced by the screen.
Removing the polarizer lets more light through, potentially allowing a display to achieve greater brightness without consuming additional power, or to use less power while maintaining the same brightness. Removing the separate layer can also make the screen assembly thinner, freeing up internal space for components like the battery, cameras, etc.
Samsung first commercialized the technology, which it called Eco² OLED, with the Galaxy Z Fold3. According to Samsung’s internal testing, its original implementation improved light transmission by 33% and reduced power consumption by up to 25% compared to an OLED panel using a traditional polarizer.
CoE technology presents some technical challenges. Without a polarizer, manufacturers must control external reflections through a combination of color filters, pixel-defining black layers, low-reflection coatings, and other optical measures. UBI Research believes that the difficulty of maintaining outdoor visibility, viewing angles, contrast and color accuracy may explain why Apple would wait until 2029 to integrate this technology into its conventional high-volume iPhone models.
Before the iPhone Duo’s unveiling, reports indicated that its Samsung-supplied OLED foldable display would use CoE technology. Apple hasn’t detailed the panel’s internal construction, but UBI Research sees the foldable device as a potential first step toward using polarizer-free OLED displays in the iPhone ‘Pro’ lineup.
The research firm estimates that annual panel demand for the two Pro models could remain between 90 million and 100 million units, making the proposed transition significantly larger in scale than the use of CoE in foldable devices. Samsung Display and LG Display are expected to lead the initial bid, while BOE could compete for orders if it can meet Apple’s requirements.
