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Foxconn Reportedly Investing in MicroLED Display Tech for Future iPhones

<img src="(http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2017/09/iphone-x-oled-250x153.jpg)" alt="" width="250" height="153" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-588825" />Foxconn is broadening investment in MicroLED display technology in a bid to win orders from Apple for future iPhones, according to a report from the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (via DigiTimes (https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20190430VL201.html)).





MicroLED is widely considered to be Apple's next step after OLED, which it currently uses for the Apple Watch (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/apple-watch/) and iPhone XS (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/iphone-xs/). MicroLED displays have many of the same advantages that OLED displays have over LCDs, including improved color accuracy, improved contrast ratio, faster response times, and true blacks – given both have self-lit pixels.





However MicroLED displays are thinner, brighter, and more energy efficient than OLED panels. MicroLED displays also have inorganic gallium nitride-based LEDs, which have a longer lifespan than the organic compound used in OLED displays and should make them more resistant to burn-in issues.





Apple's interest in MicroLED was first reported in 2014, when it acquired (https://www.macrumors.com/2014/05/02/apple-acquires-luxvue/) MicroLED display maker LuxVue. The following year it was discovered that the iPhone maker had also opened a secretive laboratory in Taoyuan (https://www.macrumors.com/2015/12/14/apple-thinner-display-taiwan/), Taiwan to research display technologies like OLED and MicroLED for future devices.





In 2017, the company reportedly scaled back its efforts at that center, possibly switching to a facility closer to home: Apple is believed to have a secretive manufacturing plant (https://www.macrumors.com/2018/03/18/apple-microled-displays/) in Santa Clara, California, where it is designing and producing display test samples using MicroLED technology.





<img src="(http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2018/04/microled-vs-oled-vs-lcd.jpg)" alt="" width="742" height="217" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-630563" /><center>Image Credit: TrendForce</center>


Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is understood (https://www.macrumors.com/2017/11/20/apple-mass-production-micro-led-displays/) to be providing support for producing smaller form factor applications, which could include future Apple Watch models and AR wearables (https://www.macrumors.com/2018/04/03/apple-tmsc-micro-led-panels-apple-watch/). Apple has also reportedly had preliminary talks with Taiwan-based company PlayNitride over cooperation in the MicroLED market (https://www.macrumors.com/2018/04/05/apple-playnitride-microled-displays/).





It will likely be a few years before MicroLED displays appear in Apple products – perhaps one year for the <!---->Apple Watch<!----> and two to four years for the iPhone – once MicroLED displays can be mass produced both reliably and affordably.





When that time comes, Apple will likely outsource full-scale production of the displays, and Foxconn is clearly planning to pick up at least some of the business, if today's report is anything to go on.

<div class="linkback">Tags: Foxconn (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/foxconn/), Micro-LED (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/micro-led/)</div>
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Source: Foxconn Reportedly Investing in MicroLED Display Tech for Future iPhones (https://www.macrumors.com/2019/04/30/foxconn-investing-in-microled-for-future-iphones/)