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Samsung and LG have reportedly offered to make micro-lens array (MLA) OLED displays for Apple’s future iPhones. The South Korean duo, two of the world’s largest OLED manufacturers, want to make MLA displays for the iPhone 16 series. Apple is evaluating the proposal and is expected to take a while to decide.
MLA is an OLED display technology that helps lower the power consumption of the display or increase the brightness while keeping the power consumption constant. It uses tiny lenses to adjust or direct the path of the light reflected inside the panel toward the screen where the user is looking instead of letting the light refract in multiple directions.
This technology narrows the viewing angle, but the gains in brightness and power consumption are quite notable. Samsung has been using MLA OLED displays on its flagship Galaxy smartphones for the past few years. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra was the first to employ this display tech. The Korean firm has since used it on every Ultra flagship. Samsung also supplies these displays to other OEMs, including Vivo.
LG, on the other hand, has been applying the MLA tech on TV screens. It has yet to produce small-sized OLED panels using the tech, but the company is confident that its MLA standards meet Apple’s requirements for the iPhone 16 display. Chinese display maker BOE, which is currently embroiled in a Samsung patent infringement lawsuit, can’t make MLA OLED displays. So Samsung and LG expect Apple to accept their proposal.
However, the iPhone maker has asked the duo to “focus on improving the efficiency of the OLED material,” the Korean publication The Elect reports. It hasn’t outright rejected the offer, but the industry experts expect Apple to take its own sweet time to decide. It’s currently preparing for the iPhone 15 launch next week. A decision on whether or not to use MLA OLED displays on the iPhone 16 may come later this year.
Samsung made OLED displays for all four iPhones this year
Samsung has long supplied displays for Apple’s iPhones. It’s no different this year. The Korean behemoth made OLED panels for all four iPhone models this year: iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. LG and BOE are other suppliers, though the latter has been having technical issues with the Dynamic Island design. As said earlier, Apple will launch the latest iPhones next week. The big event is scheduled for Tuesday, September 12.