Foxconn to Develop OLED Displays Following Sharp Takeover

iphone_4s_2015-250x300Following multiple reports claiming Apple will release its first OLED-based iPhone as early as 2017, DigiTimes Research says that Apple manufacturer Foxconn will develop AMOLED displays through its recent investment in troubled Japanese electronics maker Sharp.

Sharp will set up one 4.5G and two 6G AMOLED production lines with monthly capacity of 13,000, 11,500 and 34,500 glass substrates respectively, with total monthly capacity of 9.85 million 5.5-inch equivalent panels.

Given its longstanding relationship with Apple, the move could position Foxconn as a frontrunner among AMOLED display suppliers for iPhones. Recent reports said Apple was closing in on deals with Samsung and LG, while AU Optronics and Japan Display are also rumored candidates for orders in 2017 or 2018.

AU Optronics, Japan Display, LG, and Sharp have all supplied Apple with LCD displays for current or previous iPhones.

Last month, oft-reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple is planning an all-new iPhone featuring a curved 5.8-inch AMOLED display for debut in 2017. Kuo noted that, if supplies are sufficient, Apple would launch a 4.7-inch LCD-based iPhone paired with the new 5.8-inch AMOLED iPhone as a Plus-sized model.

galaxys7edge
While some have expressed skepticism about Apple releasing a larger 5.8-inch iPhone, one possibility is that the screen wraps around the sides of the device akin to Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge. Apple holds patents for wraparound screens, and the design lines up nicely when applied to the height of a 5.5-inch iPhone.

iphonewraparounddisplay-800x511
Rumors suggest that the iPhone 7 series will have iterative designs compared to the current iPhone 6s lineup, meaning that Apple is likely saving its major design change for 2017. Nevertheless, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will likely have many notable differences, headlined by the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Popular Stories

Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
apple c1

Apple Unveils 'C1' as First Custom Cellular Modem

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:08 am PST by
Apple today announced its first custom cellular modem with the name "C1," debuting in the all-new iPhone 16e. The new modem contributes to the iPhone 16e's power efficiency, giving it the longest battery life of any iPhone with a 6.1-inch display, such as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. Expanding the benefits of Apple silicon, C1 is the first modem designed by Apple and the most...
Apple Northbrook

Apple Store Permanently Closing at Struggling Mall in Chicago Area

Tuesday February 18, 2025 8:46 pm PST by
Apple is permanently closing its retail store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago area. The company confirmed the upcoming closure today in a statement, but it has yet to provide a closing date for the location. Apple Northbrook opened in 2005, and the store moved to a larger space in the mall in 2017. Apple confirmed that affected employees will continue to work for the...

Top Rated Comments

Amazing Iceman Avatar
116 months ago
I still don't see a real and practical use for wraparound screens as the S7 Edge has.

To me, it's nothing more than looks, and making the display more vulnerable to breakage, scratches, etc.
Does it sense touch on the edges? If yes, how can you hold it by the sides without causing a touch event?

Unless Apple is planning use this technology for something more practical, someone please enlighten me.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
warrior2000 Avatar
116 months ago
Would be great if Apple improved the Shenzhen operations by lifting wages for its offshore workers, reducing their hours, and giving them proper working conditions. Apple is totally dragging its feet. And the issue at hand is OLED vs LCD?? What a joke!

Wages
- The wage of an Apple factory worker inChina is about $310 USD per month. (2000 Chinese Yuan per month, but somewhere between 850 Chinese Yuan per month to 2030 Chinese Yuan.)
- The wage of a factory worker in the USA is about $3900 USD. (Notice the extra zero?)

Hours of work
- The hours of work in Apple’s offshore factories are at least 60 hours with records showing Apple’s offshore factory workers can frequently work up to more than 100 hours in a week.
- The hours of work in the USA is around 40 hours.

Buying an iPhone
- iPhone SE 16GB price in China is $510 USD. (3288 Chinese Yuan.)
- iPhone SE 16GB price in the USA is $399 USD.

China File
https://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/viewpoint/major-china-apple-supplier-pays-workers-less-foxconn

China Labor Watch
http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/report/107

CNET
http://www.cnet.com/au/news/low-wages-and-long-hours-still-persist-at-iphone-factory-claims-labor-group/

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2015/06/12/if-apples-foxconn-will-move-to-india-then-las-15-minimum-wage-will-cost-jobs/

Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/average-cost-factory-worker_n_1327413.html

Market Watch
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/it-would-take-25-years-of-foxconn-wages-to-afford-10000-apple-watch-2015-03-10
If you care so much why don't you go to China and volunteer your time?

Oh I forgot. You want OTHER people to do charity not yourself.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Roller Avatar
116 months ago
I'm not interested in more screen real estate if it's on the side. I would like a bezel-less display though.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michaelgtrusa Avatar
116 months ago
Would be great if Apple improved the Shenzhen operations by lifting wages for its offshore workers, reducing their hours, and giving them proper working conditions. Apple is totally dragging its feet. And the issue at hand is OLED vs LCD?? What a joke!

Wages
- The wage of an Apple factory worker inChina is about $310 USD per month. (2000 Chinese Yuan per month, but somewhere between 850 Chinese Yuan per month to 2030 Chinese Yuan.)
- The wage of a factory worker in the USA is about $3900 USD. (Notice the extra zero?)

Hours of work
- The hours of work in Apple’s offshore factories are at least 60 hours with records showing Apple’s offshore factory workers can frequently work up to more than 100 hours in a week.
- The hours of work in the USA is around 40 hours.

Buying an iPhone
- iPhone SE 16GB price in China is $510 USD. (3288 Chinese Yuan.)
- iPhone SE 16GB price in the USA is $399 USD.

China File
https://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/viewpoint/major-china-apple-supplier-pays-workers-less-foxconn

China Labor Watch
http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/report/107

CNET
http://www.cnet.com/au/news/low-wages-and-long-hours-still-persist-at-iphone-factory-claims-labor-group/

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2015/06/12/if-apples-foxconn-will-move-to-india-then-las-15-minimum-wage-will-cost-jobs/

Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/average-cost-factory-worker_n_1327413.html

Market Watch
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/it-would-take-25-years-of-foxconn-wages-to-afford-10000-apple-watch-2015-03-10
Apple should be focused on jobs with in the Nation that created them.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
uid15 Avatar
116 months ago
Here it is, the yearly implication that Apple are going to use OLED screens in the next model... and we can all guess what happens... they use IPS LCDs, thankfully. OLED is a mess - if OLED were really THAT GOOD, why are they not completely replacing LCDs? It's not as if OLED are new and bleeding edge. Apple are about colour accuracy, especially when you consider their new iPad Pro 9.7". Why would they move one product across to OLED and not the rest - can you say "inconsistent"? I am extremely confident that Apple will skip OLED panels altogether, and that they have something of their own in the pipeline... a little way off yet.

OLED screen: nice gimmick to have if your name is "Samsung".
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
116 months ago
Come on Apple, ramp this up and use AMOLED for the iPhone 7. Give me a reason to upgrade.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)