iPhone 7 release date, specs, features: Apple sourcing OLEDs for future flagships

The main Apple Inc website featuring Apple co-founder Steve JobsReuters

The iPhone 7 is unlikely to change its thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal display (TFT LCD) display by the time it comes out, but the debate right now is when Apple would be shifting to the much talked about organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays.

A recent report from the Electronic Times provides an update on that issue and from the looks of it, the shift is not far from taking place.

Per the report, Apple is zeroing in on a possible deal with Samsung and LG that could finally address all talks involving iPhones donning OLED panels.

For the record, LG is already supplying OLED products for the Apple Watch so radiating it toward the iPhone may be inevitable. But this would mean LG and Samsung would have to ramp up production facilities and it seems such is the case.

According to a report from Reuters, the two Korean companies are planning a combined $12.8 billion (15 trillion won) in capital expenditure to put up the said facilities to help build up OLED productions for the next two to three years.

For its part, Apple may need to come on board to provide additional funding.

With that said, the new display on the iPhone models may likely take some time before Apple loyalists get to see the big change. The only thing certain right now seems to be the fact that the iPhone 7 is unlikely to be the one to kick start the OLED display era for the Apple iPhone.

Back in November, there were rumors that the iPhone 7 could be sporting the said OLED display. But KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo Ming-Chi Kuo immediately shot that down (via Digitimes.com), saying that shifting to the OLED display may not be feasible at this point, with Apple still locked up with Foxconn in LCD panel production.