iPhone 7 Rumors: New Flagship to Feature OLED Wrap-Around Screen? [Release Date, Specs & Features]
Apple's future iPhones could come with AMOLED displays instead of the usual LCDs.
G for Games reported from Japanese website Nikkan that Japan Display, or JDI, is preparing to manufacture OLED displays for Apple beginning in 2018, with a prototype line set to be launched as soon as spring 2016. This means that the iPhone 7, expected to be released next year, is likely going to have LCD displays just like its predecessors.
Past rumors from various sources claimed that Samsung is attempting to get Apple orders for iPhone OLED displays, while LG also recently announced its plans to develop OLED production, probably to prepare for an OLED-equipped iPhone, BGR wrote.
So far, only Samsung and LG are regarded as the two companies likely to win orders for the future OLED model of the iPhone, BGR noted. The competition to snag OLED display orders for the iPhone might be positive for the whole smartphone industry. Samsung, LG, JDI, and other firms trying to secure Apple's orders may lessen costs and influence other smartphone manufacturers to switch from LCD to OLED for their products.
Apple hasn't confirmed anything yet, but it's worth noting that the tech giant used an OLED display on the Apple Watch, BGR added. Jony Ive, Apple's Chief Design Officer, commended the smartwatch's screen and said that the iPhone's LCD screen feels outdated.
iPhone 7 - More Rumored Specs
No More Lightning Port?
One prototype displayed an iPhone 7 without the Lightning port used in Apple's past smartphones, G for Games wrote. In its place is the USB Type-C already utilized on new MacBooks. This new connector is compatible with headsets, wireless charging technology, multi-Force Touch, dual camera configurations, and fingerprint recognition technology embedded within the device's display.
Apple Ditching the 3.5mm Headphone Socket?
An iPhone 7 prototype that features wireless charging has fueled rumors that Apple's next mobile device will not have a 3.5mm headphone socket, G for Games added.
9to5 Mac wrote that if the company is planning to have a thinner iPhone 7 than its predecessors, the iPhone 6 and 6S, it makes sense that its headphone socket will be trimmed, probably with a 2.5mm one.
Other rumored specs for the iPhone 7 are a waterproof and dustproof feature, a 6 mm thickness, and a wraparound screen. British publication, The Week, reported that Apple filed a patent in September for "sidewall displays," with an image accompanying the patent showing a device with "a screen that stretches all the way around."
In order to accommodate this rumored wraparound screen, Apple will likely ditch the home button and incorporate a fingerprint recognition feature on the screen, The Week added.