A report by Macotakara has unveiled that the upcoming 2018 budget iPhone will have a Full Active LCD sourced from Japan Display. The display is quoted to feature a “Japan Pixel Eyes” touch sensor.
Japan Display is a joint venture between Sony, Toshiba, and Hitachi.
The Full Active LCD is rumored to help minimize bezel size. Manufacturers are now able to attain ultra-small bezels of up to 0.5mm. To put this in perspective, the iPhone X’s bezels are roughly 1mm.
The report says that the budget iPhone will have a “four side narrow frame”, but does not reveal details of the exact amount of bezels. Previously leaked renders have shown the LCD iPhone with larger bezels than its OLED counterparts but this reports categorically downturns these renders and rumors.
According to the report, high precision is a must when manufacturing these displays and that has also subsequently lead to a high failure rate during mass production. Macotakara has further given a date of November 2018 for the shipping of these displays, meaning that the final product might be delayed till late 2018 or early 2019.
The upcoming 2018 iPhones have been subjected to a lot of rumors and speculations. Apple is expected to launch three iPhones this year. The 6.1-inch LCD iPhone has been detailed above. The remaining two models are expected to boast OLEDs of 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch respectively. Industry experts have predicted Apple to be steadfast on the way to becoming the first $1 trillion company, courtesy of the upcoming 2018 iPhones.
Analysts previously said that the inclusion of additional bezels in the budget iPhone is an effort to differentiate between the two OLED models and the budget model. However, it seems like Apple might have to throttle other features to a significant extent considering the bezels will be similar to that of the expensive models.
User feedback about the delay in the release of the budget iPhone is mixed. Some are saying that the delay might be aimed at securing orders for the expensive trims before the cheap variant is launched. On a positive note, however, it’s nice to see Apple going against its trend of offering premium smartphones exclusively and subsequently trying to offer something for the upper-mid range as well.
