Apple is done with its part of launching their latest iPhone this year, which means that their product development teams are now working on the next year’s iPhone lineup. However, the Apple is already delaying the launch of the iPhone X to November and one of the sole reasons for this could be the OLED production issues, which led Apple to launch the iPhone 8 series with an LCD display. If we are to believe The Wall Street Journal’s report, Apple’s OLED issues could lead it to launch another LCD model alongside the next year’s OLED iPhone.
The iPhone 8 series was launched alongside the iPhone X so as to keep Apple’s vaults flowing with cash before the iPhone X could make an appearance in the market. The iPhone is essentially an iPhone X underneath, with a few fancy bits such as FaceID and bezel-less display taken off. Apple’s OLED supplier for the iPhone X is Samsung Display, which is facing issues in producing OLED panels according to Apple’s demand.
In order to overcome the production issues, Apple will take a supply of OLED panel from LG in 2018, as LG is setting up a dedicated plant to manufacture OLED panels for future iPhones. But, it could take a while for LG to catch u with Apple’s demand, which is why Apple could be working on a successor to the iPhone 8, possibly the iPhone 9, which will come with an LCD display.
It would also make sense for Apple to churn out an iPhone 9 as the iPhone X started the OLED series. Also, Apple could be looking to bring the bezel-less design on the iPhone 9 with the use of a full active LCD display — a panel that allows thinner bezels and is currently used in Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 2. However, all of this is still a rumour and it could be a while before Apple indicates anything about next year’s iPhone lineup.
