Last year, the iPhone 12 series wound up launching late due to the coronavirus pandemic, and its impact on Apple manufacturers. While suppliers supposedly managed to claw back some lost time, it nonetheless meant that the iPhone 12 was pushed back beyond the usual September iPhone release window.
It seems that things will hopefully be a bit different this year, however, as the South Korean tech site TheElec reports. It notes that Samsung Display and LG Display have started producing the OLED panels for the iPhone 13 series at least “a month faster” than the iPhone 12 last year.
LG and Samsung Display Are Building the Screens
Although this is just one component out of many, it does suggest that Apple suppliers are in a much better position than they were in 2020—despite the fact that many parts of the world are still dealing with large numbers of coronavirus cases.
The report notes that:
Samsung Display began production for the OLED panels to be used in iPhone 13 mid-month. LG Display began production recently, people with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Samsung began organic material deposition a week earlier than LG. For the module process, where the panel is finished, Samsung’s started around ten days earlier than LG.
Both companies supposedly started production earlier as a direct request from Apple, which is seemingly doing all it can to protect against possible supply chain disruption.
Samsung Display is reportedly planning to manufacture 80 million units of OLED panels for the iPhone 13. LG Display is set to produce 30 million units. As with last year’s iPhone models, Apple is supposedly going to launch four different iPhone 13 models, each sporting OLED displays. However, you can expect some differences between the high-end and regular tier models.
120 Hz on High-End iPhones Only
The report adds another confirmation that Apple will be introducing a 120 Hz refresh rate for the iPhone 13. Current model iPhones, by comparison, have a refresh rate of 60 Hz. A faster refresh rate means smoother, seemingly more responsive displays.
Apple introduced 120 Hz refresh rates with the 2017 iPad Pro, using the name ProMotion to refer to its ability to dynamically change the refresh rate—from 24 Hz to 120 Hz—depending on what was required of it at that moment. However, this feature has yet to make it to iPhone.
According to TheElec, Samsung is the sole supplier of the low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) thin-film transistor (TFT) OLED panels, which support the 120 Hz refresh rate. The report suggests that Apple is planning to offer this 120 Hz refresh rate on the two high-end iPhone 13 models. From the sound of things, the two lower tier models will stick to the regular 60 Hz refresh rate.