Samsung and Interflex are beefing up production of flexible printed circuit board, or FPCB, for Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8, the first iPhone that will adopt an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen, according to The Korea Herald.
FPCB connects chips for each parts such as display and camera. Apple is expected to adopt OLED for about 60 million units or 40% of the iPhone 8 this year and double the adoption next year with the goal to use OLED for all its new iPhones by 2019, according to The Herald.
So far the only product Apple makers with an OLED is the Apple Watch. LG provides the smartwatch displays. iPhones and iPads use LCD technology, which offers lower manufacturing costs than OLED screens.
LCDs use a backlight behind the screen to emit light, and act as a valve allowing different amounts of this light to create the colors and images on the display. OLED is made up of many tiny LEDs, each emitting their own light and colors. They don’t require an “always on” backlight, as each LED can be on or off as needed, and emitting the right kind of light needed to create the images you’re seeing.
OLED technology is used in high end smartphones today, such as the Samsung Galaxy J3, the Gionee S6, and the Motorola X Force. Supporters of the technology praise its high contrast/deep blacks and potential thickness and power consumption advantages. However, in the past, Apple has argued its LCDs provide superior color accuracy.
