Apple may have introduced an underwhelming iPhone iteration this year, but anticipation is extremely high for its next effort, what with it being the 10th anniversary of the iPhone.
And for a while now, rumours have been circulating that suggest the firm will finally make the switch to OLED technology for the displays on the upcoming iPhone 8.
Details of the phone have been typically hard to come by, especially at this early point, but now it seems we've at least got confirmation of the OLED rumours.
Speaking at Tatung University (via Nikkei Asian Review) Sharp president Tai Jeng-wu has spoken about Apple switching to the new display tech.
Sharp was bought by Foxconn, one of the firms responsible for assembling iPhones, earlier this year, and now its president has revealed the following about Tim Cook and co's plans: "The iPhone has been evolving and now it is switching from LTPS (low-temperature poly-silicon) to OLED panels.
"We don't know whether Apple's OLED iPhones will be a hit, but if Apple doesn't walk down this path and transform itself, there will be no innovation. It is a crisis but it is also an opportunity."
The iPhone 7 looked almost identical to its predecessor
OLED technology uses pixels that emit their own light, eliminating the need for a backlight and ensuring better energy efficiency and deeper blacks.
Tai's comments seem to confirm the rumours then, but according to the report, the Sharp President did not confirm when the OLED tech would be implemented into an iPhone.
The report does go on to state that Apple will keep the current LTPS screens on the 4.7-inch and rumoured 5-inch iPhone 8 models, but will offer a premium 5.5-inch version of the handset "with a curved OLED screen".
Other recent rumours and patents have suggested Apple is working on a version of the iPhone with a full-face, bezel-less display, which could be the 5.5-inch model Nikkei refers to.
Whatever the case, it seems a switch to OLED is inevitable for Apple, but just when and how we'll see the technology used remains unclear.
