A third supply chain report says Apple plans to use LTPO screens for this year’s iPhone Pro models, which can enable ProMotion and the screen is always on.
Two previous reports suggested that Apple plans to take the type of OLED panels used in the Apple Watch Series 4 and 5 and bring them to this year’s flagship iPhones …
All iPhone 12 models have OLED screens, and that will not change in this year’s models. But what May change is the type of OLED used – specifically, the adoption of low temperature polycrystalline oxide (LPTO) panels, which allow for variable refresh rates. This opens up two possibilities.
First, the refresh rate can be increased to improve the display’s responsiveness. That’s what Apple does on the iPad Pro, using 120 Hz update cycles under the trade name ProMotion. It is more beneficial when using Apple Pencil, but it also makes the action faster and smoother in games, as well as smoother scrolling.
Second, the opposite can be done: reducing the refresh rate when little is changing on the screen. This reduces energy consumption. Apple does this on the Apple Watch Series 5 to enable the always-on screen without having a major impact on battery life. (The same display technology is used in Series 4, but Apple did not choose to enable the feature for that.)
Previous reports pointed to LG making LTPO panels for this year’s iPhones, but today TheElec report says that Samsung will be the only supplier for 2021.
The Samsung monitor will be the exclusive supplier used by Apple for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels used in the two top-tier models of its next iPhone, TheElec found.
Both models of the iPhone 13 will use OLED panels of thin film transistors (TFT) of low temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) made by Samsung Display.
Apple’s iPhone 13 will have four models and all will use OLED panels. The two main models will use LTPO OLED which can support 120Hz refresh rate.
LG is yet to provide LTPO screens for future iPhones, but only from 2022. Samsung currently has the advantage in technology, as it has already used it in the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
The report suggests another change next year: it says that while the LTPO will be reserved for Pro models this year, Apple hopes to expand the technology to all models next year.
Some cautionary notes are required. First, the source for all three LTPO reports is the same. Second, while LTPO monitors always make screens active, it does not mean that Apple will choose to implement the feature. Instead, the company may decide to reduce battery capacity to make phones thinner.
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