iPhone 16: Micro Lens Technology for OLED Panels
Apple continues to countdown towards the launch of the iPhone 15 series, which will take place on September 12th, and rumors about the iPhone 16 are already emerging. The latest claim, made by The Elec, suggests that next year’s iPhone 16 models will use micro lens technology to potentially reduce power consumption on their OLED screens. According to a source in Korea, Apple’s screen suppliers Samsung and LG have proposed applying micro lens arrays (MLA) to OLED panels, but the technology has both advantages and disadvantages that Apple needs to consider. iPhone 16: Micro Lens Technology for OLED Panels
MLA works by using a uniform pattern of billions of lenses within the panel to reduce internal reflections. These lenses redirect the light reflected backwards from the panel towards the screen, increasing perceived brightness while maintaining the same power consumption, or saving power compared to traditional OLED panels while maintaining brightness levels. On the other hand, MLA can also reduce side brightness in some usage scenarios by flattening the path of light, which narrows the viewing angle for the user. Another issue that Apple may not like is that applying MLA to OLED panels would increase production costs.
There is also the problem of different material sets developed by the two suppliers, with both being said to still fall below Apple’s standards. Apple’s decision seems to depend on whether the efficiency of OLED material sets can be increased between now and the second half of 2024, when mass production of the “iPhone 16” series is set to begin.
