New iphone 7 display features:

Transcription

1 TECHNOLOGY New iphone 7 display features: What wide color gamut and increased brightness mean for the new screens and what lies ahead

2 By David Hsieh Senior Director Displays For its newest smartphone the iphone 7, Apple underscores two points in particular for the device s display in both 4.7- and 5.5-inch models: wide color gamut and a 25% increase in brightness. Those features are among the three distinctive points the third being 3-D touch confirming the prominence of those two features for the latest iteration of Apple s best-selling and iconic mobile phone. Wide color gamut is the ability of a digital display to show a greater range of colors colors approaching the actual ones that the human eye can perceive. And because previously prized display features like high resolution have become more common in smartphones everywhere, premium smartphone models are now turning to wide color gamut technology as a differentiating factor to signal high image quality for their displays. Wide color gamut is deployed mainly in smartphones utilizing organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels. Forecast for impressive growth in the years to come, wide color gamut in smartphones is expected to deepen its penetration rate from 19.5 % in 2015 to 43.5% in Rates could rise even further if Apple, said to be considering mass-producing iphones with OLED displays in the future, were to commit firmly to the technology. The technology behind Apple s claims Although Apple makes the claim that its newest iphone display boasts both wide color gamut and increased brightness, it has achieved this feat in complex and indirect fashion. This is because wide color gamut can only be attained at the expense of brightness in a trade-off that normally involves choosing one over the other, which means that a statement claiming simultaneous achievement on both fronts is inherently contradictory. Typically wide color gamut displays are not as bright as normal displays because the emission or brightness peaks for good colors do not coincide with the peaks for brightness. In the graphic below, the green plot in the graph represents luminance sensitivity measuring the amount of light; the black plot corresponds to the spectrum of normal display; and the blue plot denotes the spectrum for quantum dot quantum dot being an example of wide color gamut technology. 1

3 As the graph shows, the main emission peak from a normal display (the black plot) overlaps almost completely with the luminance sensitivity (the green plot) their arcs neatly enfolded within each other at the midpoint of the x axis. This means that that the luminance from a normal display correlates directly to the brightness levels of the display as seen by the human eye. In contrast, the quantum dot emission spectrum (the blue plot) shows a tighter wavelength and lower peak at the main emission point, compared to the equivalent wavelength and emission settings for luminance sensitivity. The discrepancy between the two wavelengths means that the emission coming from the use of quantum dot technology is not the sole contributor to brightness as perceived by the eye, which accounts for lower brightness overall in wide color gamut displays compared to normal displays. Given that wide color gamut displays possess lower emission efficiency, a way must be found to compensate for the lower brightness. One solution is to add more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to the display panel. But this approach carries its own problems, since more LEDs on a panel will also drain the mobile phone s batteries more quickly a no-no for consumers who have little tolerance today for power-inefficient smartphones. For Apple in particular, there would be no benefit to increasing brightness levels if battery power was compromised, especially since the iphone already requires neardaily charging at current specifications and performance levels. To resolve these various issues, Apple s solution for the new iphone 7 display was to turn to KSF phosphors, and then use the phosphors at the current level of LEDs being utilized for the display panel. Then paired with color filters of appropriate thickness, emission efficiency brightness levels can also be improved in the display panel. KSF phosphors, first developed by GE Lighting, are able to deliver wide color gamut without the toxic environmental problems involved in an alternative solution like cadmium in quantum dot materials. In its choice of KSF phosphors, Apple has, indeed, managed to succeed in what initially seemed mutually incompatible goals. The iphone 7 display offers not only wide color gamut but also higher brightness that it claims is up by 25%, demonstrating to customers once again Apple s ability to stay ahead on the leading edge of technology by uniting two seemingly implausible but highly desired features in its latest smartphone offering. Are flexible OLEDs next in store for the iphone? There is plenty of speculation around Apple s form factor for when it releases the next iphone model in In all likelihood, Apple will switch from the current liquid-crystal display (LCD) technology it now uses for the iphone to active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED). Offering superior clarity compared to LCD technology, AMOLED is already in use in premium smartphone models from Samsung, Apple s chief rival in the smartphone market. By going with AMOLED, Apple can level the one area where it is surpassed by Samsung. Beyond the choice to go with AMOLED lie further tantalizing possibilities. Could Apple go with a curved display to re-energize its extremely populous base that, while still loyal, has perhaps grown complacent absent a truly wow factor of late? Yet a curved display could be a risk in that it reminds consumers of not only Samsung s now tainted Galaxy Edge brand, but also of brands from China like the Vivo and its Xplay 5 products much less favorably perceived compared to the gold standard that is the Apple iphone. It remains to be seen, therefore, if consumers will prove receptive should Apple implement in 2017 a daring form factor such as a curved display. Future iphones might also consider sporting a flexible or foldable design, more likely within the time frame when the iphone could surprise! be even unfolded to reveal an ipad. Flexible displays, according to the IHS Markit Flexible Display Market Tracker, can only be achieved using AMOLED panels with PI (polymide) substrates. The flexible form factor started gaining greater attention following the launch of Samsung s Galaxy Edge-series smartphones. 2

4 For this new era of flexible OLED displays, glass substrates are no longer needed, making way instead for plastics that are thin, light and unbreakable all of which would make excellent selling points for Apple s products. LCD displays, in comparison, will seem increasingly unwieldy and dull the low price of the panels perhaps the only thing to recommend them. And what sort of flexible OLED might Apple use for its new iphone? What kind of capacity and supplier constraints will the company face? For now, a flexible design will be difficult from a supply chain perspective. This is because Samsung is the lone supplier at present of AMOLED displays, and given a conservative AMOLED yield rate of 55% a maximum volume of 29.4 million 5.5-inch displays is all that can be expected in the second quarter of 2017 the period immediately preceding Apple s yearly iphone refresh. The calculated volume above is good enough to support one high-end Pro version. However, if Apple decides to go with foldable AMOLED design, the yield rate assumes even greater importance. A yield rate below 20% would equate to an output of less than 5.0 million insufficient for even an ostensibly high-end, limited-release phone. On top of these seeming hurdles, current supply chain information suggests that Samsung will probably be launching a foldable-type smartphone next year, which would make it the world s first. In line with such a move, one would expect Samsung to accord itself first priority in obtaining all the supply it requires for foldable panels and then only allocating whatever capacity or output is left to customers like Apple. Keeping Apple at bay, by restricting its access to a new technology like foldable displays, will be especially important for Samsung in order to claim crucial first-to-market advantage along with exultant bragging rights. The table below shows the type of display technology Apple has used for the iphone starting with the iphone 6, and projects what Apple is likely to use for new iphone models beginning next year. 3

5 Implications for the market if Apple uses AMOLED If Apple decides to use AMOLED panels for the new iphone in 2017, significant changes are bound to sweep the small- and mid-sized display market in which smartphone panels are included. The share of market held by LCD panels, currently the dominant technology in the display space, is sure to contract. Meanwhile, share of market for AMOLED, particularly flexible AMOLED, is projected for explosive growth. Overall, the AMOLED panel market is forecast to expand at a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27% from 2014 to For rigid-type AMOLED panels such as the ones used for curved displays CAGR is expected to hover at a modest 13% level during the same six-year period. In comparison, CAGR for flexible AMOLED panels like those contemplated for foldable designs is projected to attain stratospheric heights, reaching a whopping 145%. The phenomenal growth would be spurred in no small measure, no doubt, by Apple s expected use inn 2017 of flexible displays for the iphone. For more information technology.ihs.com Follow the Americas T E technology_us@ihs.com Emea T +44 (0) E technology_emea@ihs.com Apac T E technology_apac@ihs.com 3337-CD-1016 About IHS Markit IHS Markit (NASDAQ: INFO) is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 key business and government customers, including 85 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world s leading financial institutions. Headquartered in London, IHS Markit is committed to sustainable, profitable growth. Copyright 2016 IHS Markit. All Rights Reserved 4