According to a report by The Elec cited by Jwei News, Apple is considering adopting microlens technology to maintain or enhance the display brightness of OLED screens on next year’s iPhone 16 models, while reducing power consumption.
Apple’s display suppliers Samsung Display and LG Display have both proposed solutions to apply Microlens Array (MLA) technology to OLED panels. However, the technology comes with both advantages and drawbacks.
MLA redirects the light reflected backward from inside the panel toward the screen surface. Compared with traditional OLED panels of the same brightness level, it can maintain perceived brightness while lowering power consumption.
That said, although MLA straightens the light path to boost frontal brightness, it also reduces off-angle brightness. From a user’s perspective, this results in a narrower viewing angle. In addition, integrating MLA into OLED panels will raise manufacturing costs.
Another complicating factor is that the two suppliers use different material combinations, and neither has yet met Apple’s standards. Reports indicate Apple has not given a final response to the MLA proposals submitted by the South Korean manufacturers.
Apple’s final decision will hinge on whether the energy efficiency of the OLED material combinations can be improved before mass production of the iPhone 16 kicks off in the second half of 2024.
If the industry can reduce power consumption while at least preserving the amount of light emitted toward the front of the panel, without narrowing the viewing angle, the adoption of MLA may be deemed worthwhile. This, however, depends on the performance of OLED materials, and the two panel makers are said to use different material formulations.
Samsung reportedly has more experience implementing MLA in OLED panels. For instance, it has deployed the technology on certain Galaxy S Ultra models and also supplied MLA-equipped OLED panels to Chinese smartphone brands such as vivo. Meanwhile, LG has applied MLA to some of its larger OLED smart TVs but lacks experience with small and medium-sized panels, which require different approaches to light direction adjustment.
Looking ahead, a report released this May stated that Apple plans to begin mass production of more advanced microLED displays to reduce its reliance on Samsung, strengthen control over its supply chain, and lay the groundwork for its long-term goal of bringing next-generation display technology to the iPhone.
