Apple to Add Brighter, Long-lasting Tandem OLED Displays to Future iPhones, Here's What That Means

Apple could introduce a massive screen update in the next iPhones. There are talks that the Cupertino giant is prepping a stronger and better OLED display for its future iPhones. These are the same tandem OLED display panels that power the M4 iPad Pro's amazing display. But don't hold your breath for it. If things go as planned, tandem OLED could be available on iPhones after 2028.

So what is Tandem OLED, and why should you care?

Tandem OLED is not just a gimmick. It means that there are two or more light-emitting layers layered on top of each other, not the same what you get in the current iPhones. More layers make things work better, which means two things that every phone user desires- brighter screens and longer battery life. To sum it up, Tandem OLED panels can use the same amount of power to make things brighter or use less power to make things just as bright. It's a win-win kind of situation. 

What does Apple have in mind?

According to a media report from The Elec, Apple was offered something called "Simplified Tandem" late last year. It stacks the blue subpixel in two levels. The red and green ones stay in one layer. Why blue? It tends to break down faster and consume more power so it makes sense to reinforce it. 
Before Apple sells a new display technology, it normally takes them at least two years to make it and test it. LG, Samsung, and maybe BOE are still talking about making tandem OLED panels for iPhones, so mass manufacturing isn't projected to start until 2028. Also, more iPhones are shipped than iPads, and iPhones need to be replaced more often. It costs a lot of money and takes a lot of work to scale tandem OLED for millions of phones. That's one reason why Apple started with the iPad Pro first: it's a high-end device that lasts longer. 

The Battle Between LG and Samsung Displays

In this case, LG Display is ahead by a little bit " It already makes two-stack tandem OLEDs for vehicles and iPads, and last year it sent more OLED panels to iPads than Samsung did. Samsung Display, on the other hand, is coming up fast and has said that all of its new automobile displays would employ tandem OLED starting this year. Interestingly, LG had offered the idea of tandem OLED to Apple years ago, but Apple wasn't ready. Apple first intended to try it out on its "IT products," which brings us back to the iPad Pro. Apple is starting to like the notion for iPhones, and now LG and Samsung are competing to get most of that market. 
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