Samsung tech to make the next iPhone better and cheaper
Featured
Have you noticed how iPhones have become thicker in recent years? In part this is down to the increasingly complex display technology that Apple uses. But the shift to new Samsung touch-integrated flexible OLED panels should help reverse this trend towards a more bloated design.
Oh, and it should also be cheaper. For Apple, anyway.
Must read: iOS 12.1: Tips and tricks to help you get the most from your iPhone or iPad
ETNews is reporting that Apple is making use of the technology, called Y-Octa, in some of next year's iPhones.
"Samsung Display will supply touch-integrated flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) panels to Apple's iPhone. It is Samsung style OLED which is called 'Y-OCTA'. It's the first time Apple has applied touch-integrated displays to the iPhone. Touch-integrated OLEDs are expected to launch thinner and lighter iPhones."
Top 10 iPhone accessories for 2018
Why only some of next year's iPhones (likely the flagship models)? The reason offered by by ETNews - and it's a very plausible one - is limited supply. It's likely as production yields increase that these touch-integrated flexible OLED panels will find their way into all new iPhones.
Must read
- 19 features in iOS 12 you need to know about (CNET)
- How to upgrade your Apple mobile device to the latest version of iOS (TechRepublic)
So how bloated has the iPhone become? Well, the original 2007 iPhone measured in at 11.6mm, growing each year until it hit 12.3mm with the 2009 iPhone 3GS. From there it has hovered a few fractions of a millimeter either side of the 7.5mm mark, with the only major deviations being the 2013 iPhone 5C, which measured in at a hefty 8.97mm, and the 2018 iPhone XR, which is 8.3mm thick.
The iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all measured 7.7mm thick.
iPhone XS and iPhone XR cheat sheets
Do you want a thinner iPhone? Or would you rather Apple use the extra space to make the battery bigger?
Many of 2018's most dangerous Android and iOS security flaws still threaten your mobile security
Related stories:
- Demand for new iPhones weaker than Apple expected, claims report
- Apple knows the days of record iPhone sales are over, and wants you to stop obsessing over how many it now sells
- Apple was right, people love expensive iPhones
- The new iPad Pro has a surprise new feature
- Your old $99 Apple Pencil is now junk
- iOS 12 tells you (almost) everything you need to know about your iPhone's battery
- Apple iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR: Features and specs compared
- Meet Apple's iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR: Prices and specs