According to a new report out of South Korea, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will ship with older M11 OLED display technology from Samsung, while the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will get the cutting edge M12 panels. The report is in direct contrast to an earlier report from last month, claiming that all four models in the iPhone 14 lineup will ship with Samsung's cutting-edge M12 OLED panels. The report was based on a tip by the CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) Ross Young.
Apple is expected to launch four models as part of its iPhone 14 lineup this year. According to multiple sources, the four models will include the 6.1-inch iPhone 14, a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max. However, the two lower-end models in the lineup will reportedly have a lot of differences with the two higher end 'Pro' models. Apart from the display panel technology, they are also expected to ship with different processors and designs to clearly earmark the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max as the two premium models in the lineup.
According to industry sources, Samsung Display and LG Display will be the two primary OLED suppliers for the upcoming iPhone 14 series. The former will reportedly supply OLED panels for all four models in the iPhone 14 lineup, but the underlying technology in those panels will differ based on the model. As per industry insiders cited by South Korean tech blog TheElec, Samsung will use cheaper materials from the previous-generation M11 OLED technology on the base iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max to keep costs low. At the same time, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models will get the most advanced and cutting-edge M12 OLED technology.
LTPO Versus LTPS Panels
The report goes on to say that the lower-end iPhone 14 models with the M11 material set will have low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) OLED panels while the higher-end models with M12 material set will have low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) panels that are more advanced and will cost more to manufacture. Interestingly, Samsung is also reportedly using the same M12 material set to manufacture the OLED displays for its upcoming folding phones - the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4.
As for LG Display, the company will be supplying panels for the base iPhone 14 and the top-end iPhone 14 Pro Max. In fact, this will be the first time that LG Display will be supplying LTPO panels for an iPhone Pro Max model. According to the report, the company supplied the last-gen RS-K OLED panels for the iPhone 13-series last year, and now the next-gen iPhone 14 lineup will get panels based on the next-gen RS-L technology.
Source: TheElec