Apple plans to further evolve the “4-side bending” display, which it intends to apply to the 20th-anniversary iPhone next year, by 2028. Samsung Display and LG Display, which supply Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) panels, have also begun preparation work to respond.
According to industry sources on the 13th, Apple has decided to introduce a new transparent electrode technology to the next-generation 4-side bending displays to be applied to iPhones released in 2028 and has started discussions with domestic display companies.
A 4-side bending display is made by bending the edges of the OLED. It is a technology Apple is preparing for the 20th-anniversary iPhone to be launched next year to minimize display bezels.
Currently, the display cathode layer is made of magnesium-silver alloy (Mg·Ag), but in this case, there is a possibility of screen distortion at the 4-side bending curves, and the luminance (luminous intensity per unit area) decreases. To solve the problem, Apple plans to implement transparent electrodes by changing the display cathode layer to indium zinc oxide (IZO) for the 2028 products.
Top-emission OLEDs, which are mainly applied to smartphones, require light to pass through the cathode; if the transparency of the electrode increases, the display distortion occurring at the edges can be minimized.
The domestic display industry, which supplies OLED panels to Apple, is also preparing for this in earnest.
“Because Samsung Display and LG Display must apply this technology, investment in related equipment for products released in 2028 is necessary,” said an industry official familiar with the matter.
The first to move was LG Display. It was identified that the 1.106 trillion won investment in new OLED infrastructure announced by LG Display last month is for the development and mass production of this technology.
To make the cathode layer with IZO, a low-damage transparent conductive oxide (TCO) sputter is required in the deposition process equipment. LG Display reportedly plans to build related equipment through this investment, use it for research and development (R&D) first, and then reinforce it to use for the mass production of next-generation 4-side bending displays.
Samsung Display is also considering building equipment in the future. Since there are spatial and design difficulties in installing TCO sputters in existing smartphone OLED manufacturing lines, the industry sees a high possibility of investment in new lines by Samsung Display.
As Apple introduces bending displays to smartphones and presents technology to resolve drawbacks, attention is focused on whether bending displays will expand in smartphones and whether the benefits for the domestic display industry will increase.
