Recently, there have been reports about Apple using MicroLED screen instead of OLED for the new iPhone in 2017. So what exactly is this MicroLED screen, and is it better than OLED? Let’s find out!
MicroLED screen: What’s good about it?
MicroLED is a flat screen technology and has been mentioned since 2014, after Apple acquired the technology firm LuxVue, who had been researching this screen technology for some time. Similar to OLED, MicroLED screen is an upgrade from LCD. Both MicroLED and OLED screens provide higher contrast and consume less energy than LCD screens. Both of them are suitable for smartphones and smartwatches.
However, MicroLED screen has many advantages over OLED screen. It can provide brightness 30 times better than OLED. A MicroLED screen also lasts much longer than an OLED screen, and can be made even thinner than OLED. The power consumption is also better in theory, and most importantly, has lower production cost. We can safely say that MicroLED inherits all the good things about LCD and OLED, and is the best one so far.
What do all these mean? First, Apple can use this to differentiate their products, because this will be the first time ever a commercial product has the MicroLED screen. Ultimately, this will help Apple gain more customers, due to all the benefits this screen will provide. For end-users, they may finally have the solution to the battery problem of smartphones. The screen is usually the part that consumes the most energy in a smartphone. By using MicroLED, the power consumption will be much less, and users will be able to save a lot of battery power.
MicroLED screen: What this means to Apple
The acquisition of LuxVue has brought a lot of things to Apple, besides all the MicroLED patents. For once, they become the owners of the technology. This means that they will be able to even make their own screens one day. As we know, Samsung, the closest rival to Apple, has also been the supplier of screen sheets for Apple, as well as other brands. This has created a supply chain reliance, and will not be beneficial for Apple in the long run. With this technology in hand, Apple may become the supplier in the future. But for now, it has certainly made the market much more interesting, and end users will also appreciate the innovation.