With about six months left before Apple unveils its next generation iPhone, the rumor mill has gone into overdrive. An article from the
Wall Street Jounral suggested that Apple would adopt a curved OLED display for one of its three smartphone models this year.
The report cited anonymous sources claiming that initially Samsung will supply OLED panels for a special “10th anniversary Edition” iPhone, which some have been calling the “iPhone 8.” In addition, to capacitate mass production, Apple has already ordered sufficient components.
(Photo Credit: Apple)
However, only one of the three iPhones coming out later this year will feature an OLED screen. The other two will still use the flat LCD panels.
According to WSJ, Apple will do away with the physical home button on the new iPhone. Instead, it will have a touch area on the lower part of the device. This is in line with KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's prediction that there will be a "function area" below iPhone 8’s main display.
Additionally, via
AppleInsider, Apple was granted a new patent on Tuesday for an “Electronic device including finger biometric sensor carried by a touch display and related methods.” This suggests that fingerprint authentication could be successful by touching anywhere on the entire display.
(Photo Credit: USPTO)
Among other anticipated shifts for the new iPhone, Apple is said to replace the Lightning charging port with an industry standard USB-C port. Those moves are expected to equip iPhone with features that have already been seen on other competing handsets.
Nowadays, smartphone makers have been struggling to develop killer features that consumers are willing to pay for. Moreover, in face of Chinese competition, companies like Apple have become even less competitive and have seen a sharp fall in sales.
With an OLED screen, the new iPhone will mark a major design innovation, which is expected to attract Chinese users, in particular. This will further boost the iPhone unit sales, as some analysts forecasted. Apple’s iPhone 6 series was the only design innovation made in recent years.
Investors are also bullish on the upcoming curved-screen iPhone. Apple's stock has been hovering around its all-time high. According to BMO Capital Markets, the new iPhone is estimated to be priced at about USD 1,000, which would increase the average selling price of an iPhone from USD 666 to USD 684 in Apple’s next fiscal year.
However, some analysts pointed out that OLED screens consume more power and are more expensive than the existing LCD ones. Thus, a big question mark still hangs over whether OLED panel will be a lifesaver for smartphone makers.
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