Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was the first to suggest that next year will see an iPhone 14 hole-punch camera to replace the notch, and this is backed by a new supply-chain report today.
The report says that LG will be supplying some of the display panels with the hole-punch cutouts …
Background
Kuo first predicted the major design change back in March.
According to Kuo, Apple plans to start replacing the current notch design introduced with iPhone X with a new-to-iPhone “punch-hole display design” that sounds similar to what Samsung uses for its flagship Galaxy phones […]
All iPhones in the lineup could adopt this punch-hole display design if product yields allow, although Kuo hedges and says that at least high-end (presumably Pro) models will adopt it in the second half of next year.
Kuo later said that the punch-hold design would indeed be limited to the two Pro models, and this has been backed by other sources.
Latest iPhone 14 hole-punch camera report
TheElec says that LG will be supplying some of the display panels for the iPhone 14, the first time the company has supplied OLED panels to Apple. LG has long made LCD displays for earlier generations of iPhones.
LG Display will be supplying low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) thin-film transistor (TFT) OLED panels for Apple’s iPhones launching next year, TheElec has learned.
Winning the order for LTPO TFT OLED from Cupertino, despite the volume being small, is critical for the South Korean panel maker as it will allow it to maintain an edge over Chinese rival BOE, which is aggressively looking to expand its share in Apple’s OLED panel supply chain.
LTPO TFT supports 120Hz refresh rate and is an advanced technology that smartphone makers apply to their premium OLED panels for premium smartphones.
Samsung Display, which dominates the supply of OLED panels to Apple, provided the LTPO TFT OLED panel used in the Pro models of the iPhone 13 series this year.
The report briefly but specifically referenced hole-punch screens.
LG Display will also be supplying the LTPO TFT OLED panels with hole-in display technology, where there is a hole at the top side of the panel for the front camera.
Interestingly, polls of 9to5Mac readers on hole-punch cameras have shown very split views. While a hole-punch would be smaller, some consider it to be more noticeable than the notch, which often fades into the status bar area to be effectively invisible. It’s unclear whether the same would be true of a punch-hole.
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