Apple reportedly developing Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3- style OLED panel – Times of India

Apple has reportedly started the production of OLED panel that does not use a polarizer. As per a report by TheElec, removing the polarizer will help the company to make thinner panels that are optimal for foldable devices. Samsung was the first company to supply an OLED panel without polarizer and it can be noticed in its current gen foldable smartphone Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.
For those who are unaware, the polarizers improve the visibility of the display as they only allow lights in certain directions to pass through. Use of polarizers lessens the brightness and hampers luminance efficiency of the panel. To get clearer colours, the Korean giant used a black pixel define layer over colour filter on the thin film encapsulation. The company used a different polyimide material for the black pixel define layer.
Apple usually sources OLED panels for its devices from Samsung, LG, BOE and others. As per a previous report, Apple has also partnered with LG to develop foldable OLED display panel with ultra-thin cover glass for future tablets and notebooks.
It is also rumoured that we may have to wait a bit longer to see the first foldable iPhone as Apple is reportedly testing a new device with a 9-inch foldable display. As per older tweets by known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the tech giant is working on a product with foldable OLED display and PPI between iPhone and iPad, to verify key technologies.
“I think the priority order of sizes of Apple foldable product development is medium, large, & small. Apple is actively testing foldable OLED about 9″ (PPI between iPhone & iPad, adoption of TDDI). The test is to verify key technologies and may not be the final product spec.” the tweet from Kuo reads.
Last year, Kuo predicted that Apple may launch a foldable iPhone as soon as 2024 but in his latest tweets, the analyst has predicted the launch to 2025.