Apple will produce its own microLED displays in bulk for iPhones

As per a recent report from Nikkei Asia, the Cupertino-based tech firm is going to produce its own MicroLED displays. It will be done to reduce the reliance of the company on suppliers like Samsung. Notably, the company aims to have more control over supply. Or in other words, Apple is preparing the pitch to introduce the tech to iPhones.

As per sources, the company has spent almost $1 billion on the R&D of MicroLED over the past years. as soon as the production begins, the company will carry out the mass transfer step of the manufacturing process. The transferring process includes the placement of tens of thousands of tiny microLED chips on substrates.  

The company intends to fabricate small MicroLED chips on wafers. Reportedly, the company will collaborate with ams-Osram for the microLED component. Whereas the substrates will be provided by LG Display and TSMC will deliver the 12-inch wafers. The company will then perform the transferring process at its R&D center in the Longtan District in the northern Taiwanese city of Taoyuan.

The R&D teams of Apple from the U.S., Taiwan, and Japan have been working on the tech. Reports indicate that they have successfully designed the driver-integrated circuits for the microLED screens. In addition to this, the teams are also successful with the production equipment. In this way, the company can better control the mass transfer process. Thus, enabling the company to utilize the display tech in products that initially utilized the OED panels provided by Samsung and other suppliers.

Besides all this, the process of MicroLED production is quite challenging and expensive. For this reason, the company will initially introduce the technology with the Apple Watch Ultra before producing microLED displays for iPhones. MicroLED display technology can provide improved brightness and contrast ratio, reduced power consumption, and various other advantages in contrast to the recent iPhones with OLED displays.

The first iPhone that employs microLED is probably still a few years away from debuting since the Apple Watch Ultra is not anticipated to feature the technology until 2025. All four of the iPhone 15 versions that will be released later this year are anticipated to have OLED screens.