Foreign media The Elec has ‘confirmed’ today that Samsung Display and LG Display are developing zero-bezel OLED panels that meet Apple’s requirements. Completion is expected by the end of 2025.
It should be noted that Apple originally planned to launch zero-bezel OLED iPhones in 2025 and 2026, but there are rumors that this plan may not be achievable. Sources say Apple needs to complete technical discussions with Korean display panel manufacturers about such OLED panels in order to launch related iPhones in 2026. They add that Apple is still actively engaged in technical discussions and repeated communications with Korean suppliers to achieve zero-bezel OLED panels.
As is known, Samsung Display and LG Display are respectively Apple’s largest and second-largest OLED panel suppliers. Apple hopes that this zero-bezel OLED panel can be like the screen on the Apple Watch. The screen itself is flat and has rounded corners, but the curved surface will ‘flow around’. To achieve this goal, Samsung Display and LG Display need to use thin-film encapsulation and optical clear adhesive (OCA) technology to process the sides of the screen. Among these technologies, the OCA technology is progressing the slowest as it currently causes distortion in side viewing angles. In addition, panel manufacturers also need to solve the problem of how to embed antennas into the sides of the screen.
This zero-bezel OLED panel is different from the edge or curved screens that Samsung has used on Galaxy phones in the past. The latter’s sides are slightly curved, but they do not extend the screen around like the design on the Apple Watch. Apple does not want this effect and also does not want the ‘flowing’ part to be part of the display area.
In addition, Samsung Display said at a domestic business forum in South Korea in August this year that the company is preparing concept models with under-display cameras and zero-bezel OLED panels.
