iPhone 8 Rumors: 2017/2018 Apple Inc. Smartphone Could Pack 5.8-Inch OLED Screen

An “iPhone 8” could pack a display larger than the one on the iPhone 6S Plus. That's the buzz from a new report out of Taiwan-based research company Digitimes Research that says Apple plans to launch a 5.8-inch OLED screen smartphone sometime in 2017 or 2018.

Measured diagonally, that’s about a third of an inch larger than the 5.5-inch screen found on the 6S Plus, which would make it the largest display ever offered on an iPhone, rivaling even the 5.7-inch display found in Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5. Some of Apple’s potential suppliers for the screens may be Samsung Display, LG Display and Japan Display. This screen wouldn’t use traditional LCD technology. Instead, Apple is expected to switch to OLED displays, which don’t require an additional backlight and can help it make the iPhone even thinner. It’s also experimenting with a number of display technologies in a Taiwan research lab.

An estimated 50 million units of the OLED equipped iPhones could make it out to customers in their first year, according to Digitimes.

That said, the rumored iPhone is likely at least a couple years from launch. In the meantime, Apple customers have a lot to look forward to in 2016. In March, Apple is expected to launch a 4-inch iPhone SE to replace its aging iPhone 5S and a fully redesigned smartphone is anticipated for sometime in the second half of 2016, likely dubbed the “iPhone 7.” Features that could make it into the smartphone include a dual-lens camera, no headphone jack, and a faster processor. However, the dual-lens design may come only with Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus.

If Apple does use OLED displays in its iPhone, it would be the second device in its product lineup to use the technology — the first being the Apple Watch, which went on sale in April 2015.