Display

DisplayMate: the iPhone 5 has the best smartphone display

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 25, 2012

Display experts DisplayMate put the iPhone 5 display through its paces and walked away pretty impressed, ranking it the best smartphone display they have ever tested. A lengthy analysis confirms that Apple improved upon pretty much every aspect of the iPhone 4/4S display. No longer are colors undersaturated and brightness doesn't drop as much when looking at the iPhone 5 from side.

Moreover, the display on the iPhone 5 has excellent calibration plus accurate color and contrast. Overall, DisplayMate rates the iPhone 5 display as "A" versus "A-" for the iPhone 4 and "B+" for the Galaxy SIII...

LG Display shuns Samsung, becomes prime supplier of Retina iPad panels

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 20, 2012

More cracks are beginning to show in the Apple-Samsung partnership as the South Korean conglomerate's component arm lost a significant amount of orders to rival LG Display. Coincidentally or not, the news arrives in the aftermath of the $1 billion ruling in the Apple v. Samsung trial. Samsung used to be the prime supplier of high-resolution Retina panels for Apple's third-generation iPad, but no longer.

Seeking ways to reduce its dependency on Samsung, Apple reportedly shifted panel orders to LG Display. It's not just a minor re-shuffling: Samsung last month saw iPad panel orders reduced to just 28 percent of its July output. We've seen what order stoppage rumors can do to market cap. I'd watch Samsung's share price closely these days...

Sharp, others steal iPhone 5 display biz from Samsung

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 20, 2017

There has been much speculation concerning who will be supplying screens for Apple's just announced iPhone 5. The mystery is solved, if you believe a new Wall Street Journal report that named LG Display, Japan Display and Sharp as suppliers of four-inch in-cell display panels for the device. Surprisingly, the newspaper made no mention of Samsung, which supplies Retina display for the third-generation iPad and previous iOS devices...

DisplaySearch: Apple re-engineering the iPad’s Retina Display around thinner IGZO tech

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Apple's "resolutionary" iPad 3 brings with it the company's best Retina Display yet, featuring an astounding resolution of 2,048-by-1,536 pixels. Because so many pixels are crammed up on the same 9.7-inch canvas, much stronger backlight is required in order to push the light through the pixels, taxing the battery and adding up to the device's overall thickness.

A new report cites a prominent display expert who claims that Cupertino is working on an improved Retina tech for an updated third-generation iPad. The new display is thought to be thinner and consume less power, allowing for a new iPad stock-keeping unit (SKU) with a slightly better battery life and lower heat dissipation...

Sharp reportedly to agree to sell shares to Foxconn at a lower price

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 20, 2017

Following reports of contention between Apple's favorite contract manufacturer Foxconn and the struggling Japanese electronics giant Sharp over the stake-sale price, The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that Sharp may agree to a lower price after all.

A new round of talks is reportedly focused not only on the sale price, but also on broadening the two companies' business alliance, which includes the future of Sharp's television assembly plants in Mexico and China rumored to be part of the Foxconn deal...

Sharp slows production of Apple’s new iPhone screen

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Apple may need to give a cash infusion to one of its iPhone display suppliers, whose production has slowed due to high costs, Reuters reports Friday. Screens for the new iPhone expected on Sept. 12 have embedded touch sensors, eliminating the need for an additional touch-screen layer.

Sharp is "struggling with high costs that have cut into its margins on the screens," the news service reports this morning, citing an unidentified production source...

LG begins mass-producing thinner displays ahead of new iPhone launch

Cody Lee ∙ August 22, 2012

We've heard several reports over the past few months that Apple is using a new, thinner display in its next iPhone. The tech is called in-cell, and will help slim down the handset.

Interestingly enough, LG Display's CEO Han Sang-beom announced today that his company has just started mass-producing a new line of thinner, smartphone display panels...

Photos of complete next-gen iPhone front panel surface

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

The amount of claimed leaked next-generation iPhone parts we're seeing is starting to get out of control. Yesterday we saw a purported dock connector for the handset, and now this.

The above photo is of what's believed to be a complete front panel belonging to Apple's next smartphone. It has the rumored elongated display, and a repositioned FaceTime camera...

Foxconn now wants one-fifth of Sharp as iTV meme picks up steam

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Funny thing how, after a period of inconsistent rumor mongering, all the pieces of an Apple branded television set rumor appear to be falling in place. First, the Wall Street Journal threw its credibility behind the iTV meme yesterday with a pair of stories describing a set-top box, likely a next-gen Apple TV, that could tap iCloud to store shows the instant they air and work with premium cable TV content.

Then earlier today we've learned via an analyst note that the iTV could be in production as we speak and that Apple is planning to offer both a standalone $1,250 HD TV set with AT&T‘s UVerse and Verizon’s FiOS contract and content deals, as well as a much cheaper and more advanced set-top box for Comcast customers.

And just as I explained the intricacies of a cool gesture recognition technology that iTV is thought to incorporate, a new report from Japan says Apple's favorite contract manufacturer Foxconn is now asking to double its planned stake in Sharp to as much as twenty percent, up from the originally agreed 9.9 percent...

iOS 6 found to be scalable for taller displays, supports 5 rows of icons

Cody Lee ∙ August 7, 2012

It's widely believed that the new iPhone will, for the first time, feature a larger screen. It seems like it's been all but confirmed with reports from major news outlets and leaked next-gen iPhone parts.

But if you're still skeptical about Apple enlarging the screen on its smartphone, you might want to check this out. iOS 6 has been discovered to be completely scaleable to fit a taller, 640 x 1136 display...

Why Foxconn must ensure survival of cash-strapped Sharp

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 7, 2016

Though the world's largest product assembler Foxconn is taking advantage of Sharp's financial woes, the company will want to offer a lifeline to the struggling Japanese giant, not just because it's one of the suppliers of mobile displays for iPhones and iPads, but also because Apple is seeking to reduce its dependency on Samsung, the world's largest maker of flat displays. That's the crux of today's report by Bloomberg, which also mentions the inevitable Apple television set rumor...

Video depicts 0.1mm thinner, more scratch resistance iPhone 5 front panel

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Two months ago a video made rounds comparing side-by-side the current iPhone 4S front panel to a 4.07-inch panel allegedly belonging to a sixth-generation iPhone. Another video showing off a partially assembled device scrapped together from the allegedly leaked parts also piqued our interest.

And now, a new clip hits the Interwebs comparing the front panel of the current iPhone 4S and the rumored iPhone 5. Some of the stuff that we gleaned from the seven-minute clip include a centered FaceTime camera and a taller display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, which aligns nicely with the previously leaked schematics. More findings right below...