2027 iPhone Air Could Use LTPO3 OLED Display, Resulting in Longer Battery Life – MacTrast

Apple is mulling over using displays in its iPhone lineup for 2027 that would use quite a bit less battery power, according to The Elec.

The Korean language report says the new displays would be upgrades of Apple’s current LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) OLED displays that would incorporate oxide semiconductors in both switching and drive transistors.

LTPO TFT is based on low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) TFT, and some of the driving (1) or switching (6~7) TFTs are applied with oxide method. LTPO is made through oxide process after LTPS process. LTPS TFT has fast electron mobility but high power consumption. Oxide TFT has relatively slow electron mobility but low power consumption. LTPO TFT can reduce power consumption in low-temperature driving. 

Every iPhone screen has millions of tiny switches that control each pixel. Right now, Apple uses two different types of these switches: some are power-efficient but slow, while others are fast but power-hungry.

The report also suggests Apple will likely debut this advanced LTPO technology – sometimes called “LTPO3” – in a 2027 version of the upcoming iPhone 17 Air. The ultra-thing iPhone 17 Air will logically have less room for a battery, meaning that squeezing every bit of efficiency from the screen is vital.

Moving the display’s drive transistors to oxide would provide extended battery life when the iPhone screen is running at low refresh rates, such as when it is at 1Hz and displaying just the time and notifications on its always-on display. Unfortunately, the more efficient oxide switches respond more slowly, so Apple would have to figure out a way to balance performance with efficiency.

The report indicates that Samsung and LG will share the manufacturing duties for the next-generation display panels, although both companies will need to upgrade their equipment to do so.

The Elec report claims Apple will make a decision on whether to equip the iPhone models scheduled for release in 2027 with LTPO OLEDs that apply oxide up to the driving TFT by around the third quarter of this year.