While Apple’s 20th anniversary iPhone is expected to boast a new, more curved display, it is now being reported that the 2028 iPhone’s display will be even more advanced.
Reports have widely claimed that the 2027 iPhone will feature a new micro-curved OLED display to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Now a new ET News the report claims that Apple’s suppliers are already planning what’s next.
The iPhone 21, expected to be announced a year later, will feature the “four-edge curved” screen of its predecessor. Apple is said to be using new transparent electrode technology, with Samsung Display and LG Display ready to use it.
New technology, less distortion
The iPhone 20 is expected to use a magnesium-silver alloy cathode layer as part of its OLED display. But this approach may cause screen distortion when folded.
Given the iPhone 20’s curved screen, it’s believed that distortions could be an issue. Although Apple seems to have made peace with this limitation, it plans to make its successor fare better.
For the 2028 model, it is believed that Apple will use a transparent electrode by switching to an indium-zinc oxide (IZO) cathode layer. This will allow more light to pass through the cathode, reducing distortions.
It has been reported that Samsung Display and LG Display will need to upgrade their facilities to produce Apple’s new displays. The latter has already started the ball rolling by investing 1,106 billion won in new OLED infrastructure.
Samsung Display is expected to follow suit, but this is not yet confirmed. Questions remain about whether demand for the new displays will increase across the industry.
The 20th anniversary iPhone is expected to see the biggest design since the iPhone X. The 2017 iPhone X marked the phone’s 10th anniversary and was the first to ditch the Home button.
When it comes to this particular report, ET News has a reasonable track record in terms of supply chain sources. It is likely that most of his report is accurate.
However, its record in terms of deadlines is less impressive. More to the point, its predictions for 2028 could be wrong.