Apple's history with screens is different from all other companies. While the OLED screen technology dominated most smartphones, Apple continued to produce LCD screens until recently with the release of the iPhone X and the first Apple OLED screens. What is the story of this type of screen? What is special about it and what are the contraindications for placing it in all devices?
OLED Features
OLED screens are distinguished from LCD screens due to the technology used in them. As it consists of (diode) units that emit light by itself and without the need for backlight. Unlike LCD screens, which need a backlight in the form of a panel behind the screen.
This causes one of the most important differences between the two monitors, which is color contrast. As the difference between each color and color is very clear in OLED screens, and the black color is (real) very deep. Although the current LCD screens, especially those of Apple, are very sophisticated, they are still limited when compared alongside OLED screens in terms of color contrast and black depth.
Why Apple declined with the iPhone?
For several reasons. Including, of course, market pressure. Whatever the quality of Apple LCD screens. Whatever we talked about the amount of developments in it, many still demanded OLED screens and became one of the basics of higher-class phone screens.
But market pressure isn't the only reason to finally use OLED screens on iPhones. Foldable screen technology is more easy to investigate with OLED screens. And Apple has enabled the work of its devices with very thin borders. Finally, Apple was able to reach the best version of OLED screens in terms of color accuracy and adjust several problems that existed in those screens.
The story is different with iPad and Mac
In principle, OLED screens are significantly more expensive than LCD screens. It represents a big factor in increasing the price of the iPhone from the beginning of the iPhone X onwards. So what do you think about iPad and MacBook screens? It is much larger and therefore will cost significantly more than the iPhone. And these devices really aren't cheap. It is more expensive than most of the competitors.
And color accuracy ...
We know that color accuracy has improved a lot with the iPhone's OLED screens. You can see this when comparing the screen of the iPhone 11 Pro with the Galaxy S10 or 20. You will find that the iPhone is much more accurate in color. It is interesting to make the same comparison with the iPhone 8 or SE2. Although the screen is of the LCD type and in cheaper phones, the color accuracy in it is very high compared to the iPhone X and 11, as well as the Galaxy devices.
Although the average user may neglect the difference, the problem of color accuracy is doubled in devices such as the Mac and the iPad. Whereas, Apple is promoting these devices to professionals working in the field of editing photos and videos, etc. ... This category of users needs a high degree of color accuracy that is difficult to provide with OLED screens. Also, the Apple screens in these devices are really very high quality and it is not worth changing the hardship of working on the defects of OLED screens that are difficult to overcome completely.
The combustion problem
You may have heard about several problems affecting OLED screens, such as the green line that appeared on Samsung devices and also the iPhone X, and then the screen had to be changed. OLED screens are also notorious for their image burn-in problem. It occurs when the screen remains fixed to a specific image for a long time. Some parts begin to lose their color brightness, which causes permanent imagination to appear on the screen in place of the old image. This problem does not appear often in devices that change the picture frequently, such as televisions and smartphones. However, Mac and iPad devices, especially if they are used in editing photos or videos or developing applications, are displayed in static images for a long time.
It is worth noting that this problem has improved and is no longer the same but there is no risk. Especially with devices that are expected to work with the user for years more than smart phones.
(Above is a picture of the iPhone X device that was intended for display in a branch of T-Mobile company. The employees forgot to play the projection video and the device kept displaying the main screen at high brightness for a long time. The image burned out as you can see.)
Change is coming
The lack of OLED displays does not mean that Apple is not considering changing its screen technology. According to the expectations of Ming-Chi Qiu, a specialist in Apple's leaks, the company intends to change the technology of iPad and MacBook screens to a new type of miniLED, which provides similar quality to OLED screens in terms of contrast, but does not have the same defects. It also allows making devices with less thickness. Or, it may help keep the device in size while increasing the battery size.
Ming-Chi also expects that Apple will move to use a more advanced technology, microLED, over the following years.
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Thanks for the clarification 👍
Thank you 🌺
Thanks for the useful article ... But I have a simple note, which is that according to my information, Apple buys ready-made screens from Samsung and possibly from LG as well, and it puts only the required specifications for the screen, but not for Apple research centers working to develop and improve the screens. Therefore, to say that the iPhone screen is better than the Galaxy screen, that seems strange to me ...
Apple is already developing screens and working on technology. From which the technology of its LCD screens was developed in phones and computers as well, as well as its own OLED. But Samsung and LG are the top screen makers in the large-scale market. Apple has certain specifications that it requests to be manufactured in Samsung's factories. And supply it. Apple imports screens from Samsung and installs iPhones in TSMC factories, and camera sensors are required from Sony factories.
It should be noted that although Apple designs its own screens, it uses some Samsung patents in parts of the pixel arrangement because it is registered.
OLED screens are more energy-saving, especially in night mode, because most of the screen is turned off by the real blackness of OLED screens.
OLED screens have good accuracy, but have many problems
LCD screens have a longer life if we neglect the subject of contrast and colors
“You can see that when you compare the screen of the iPhone 11 Pro with the Galaxy S10 or 20. You will find that the iPhone is much more accurate in color. “
I did not important this part of the article!
Note that the OLED screen on the iPhone is manufactured by Samsung!
Apple is already developing screens and working on technology. From which the technology of its LCD screens was developed in phones and computers as well, as well as its own OLED. But Samsung and LG are the top screen makers in the large-scale market. Apple has certain specifications that it requests to be manufactured in Samsung's factories. And supply it. Apple imports screens from Samsung and installs iPhones in TSMC factories, and camera sensors are required from Sony factories.
It should be noted that although Apple designs its own screens, it uses some Samsung patents in parts of the pixel arrangement because it is registered.
I like LCD screens, although OLED screens are better for reading, but their bright colors, I don’t think they are suitable for laptops and iPads, and I don’t feel that they can handle 9 hours of work on the iPad. It is true that phones that have OLED screens do not have screens that work excellently because manufacturing durability has become better, but until now I do not trust these screens. The iPhone XR iPhone 11 screen is excellent. I prefer the colors of the iPad Air 3 screen, which is excellent in white, and I hope that Apple will be patient until it develops MacroLED or NanoLED screens.
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