14 DAY TRIAL // The display of the upcoming iPhone 8 appears to be Apple’s key point of focus, as the company is betting big on the OLED screen that the device is expected to come with.
But in addition to sensors integrated into it, narrow bezels, and the best screen-to-body ratio, the new display will also borrow the ProMotion technology used by Apple on the iPad Pro.
This means the iPhone 8 display will support higher refresh rates, thus reducing the motion blur in a variety of scenarios, including scrolling.
Bloomberg says Apple is planning to use the new display also because of the company’s big bet on artificial intelligence, so the iPhone 8 could come with a dedicated chip whose role would be to handle this kind of tasks. The chip is codenamed Apple Neural Engine and will also power the ProMotion display.
The recently-launched 10.5-inch iPad Pro arrived with a new display capable of 120 Hz refresh rate, and there’s a good chance Apple is aiming for the same specs for its iPhone 8 screen as well.
Samsung can’t build enough displays
On the other hand, rumor has it that Apple is hitting some roadblocks for the iPhone 8, as Samsung, which is the sole supplier of OLED displays for the new model, can’t produce enough panels until the debut of the device in September.
As a result, Apple could indeed unveil the iPhone 8 at its September event, but sales would only begin the next months, with analysts estimating that October or November are more likely to witness the market debut of the anniversary iPhone.
In the meantime, Apple is also trying to make sure that OLED panel production would run smoothly when the company launches the next-generation models in 2018, so it’s now working with LG on a new factory whose only activity would be building screens for iPhones.
This new facility is projected to begin operations in early 2019, so Apple needs to rely on Samsung for at least another year.