Apple to mass produce its own micro-LED display to reduce reliance on Samsung for iPhone screens

Image credit : AppleInsider Since a while ago, it has been known that Apple has been funding the research and development of micro-LED screen technology, which appears to combine the greatest features of mini-LED and OLED displays now available in the market. According to Nikkei, Apple even created some of the production machinery itself and collaborated with LG Display to purchase substrates and TSMC silicon wafers. It is eventually planned to replace the iPhone's current majority of panels, which are made by Samsung Display (which is also the market leader in OLED manufacture), with micro-LED screens. Micro-LED offers the high contrast and deep black depths of OLED thanks to its individually lit pixels. However, unlike OLED, it is not made of an organic material, therefore problems like burn-in are not a concern. Additionally, the panels will be more energy-efficient and thinner. In addition to other advantages, the small size of the micro-LED chips may make it easier to integrate displays with other sensors, such as more accurate under-screen fingerprint scanners. [caption id="attachment_175030" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image credit : iClarified[/caption] Given that the display is frequently the most expensive part of an iPhone, Apple could save a lot of money and increase its profit margins if it could own the display technology instead of having to rely on Samsung's intellectual property, as it is currently required to do in order to secure high-quality OLED panels for the iPhone. But producing micro-LED screens is a difficult process, and scaling up manufacturing still presents some difficulties. at line with earlier rumors, Nikkei reports that Apple's micro-LED technology is still at the samples stage and that the company hopes to put micro-LED on the Apple Watch as early as 2025. According to Nikkei, Apple now maintains research centers for micro-LEDs in the US, Taiwan, and Japan. Also read : LG and Samsung resume talks on their OLED panel deal The Apple Watch will launch first since producing micro-LED panels in smaller sizes is simpler. Apple might be able to mass produce micro-LED panels with screen sizes suitable for iPhones in five years.