Apple is teaming up with its contract manufacturer Foxconn on building OLED-based screens for future smartphones and wearables, GforGames reported Thursday citing a fresh report from Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, one of the leading newspapers in Japan.
Foxconn is said to be working with touch panel company InnoLux, also an Apple supplier, to put together an ecosystem which will allow the production of sixth-gen low temperature poly-silicon films, aimed at entering mass production in 2016.
“Foxconn is going to use its newly funded display factory to produce OLED panels exclusively for producing components for Apple,” reads the report.
These OLED panels should go into limited production in 2016, with Foxconn Japan RD Co. responsible for research in manufacturing, technology and equipment of OLED displays.
The report specifically mentions Apple smartphones and wearables.
Now, the only Apple gadget that uses OLED technology is the upcoming smartwatch, which uses screens built by LG Display. The iPhone maker hired OLED experts in the past and has patented OLED embedded sensors to improve iPhone display, indicating its interest in the technology.
Switching to OLED from LCD IPS panels used on all iOS devices to date would yield power savings while reducing the thickness of the display assembly and improving image quality and color reproduction.
[GforGames, Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun]