According to reports, Apple wants to install bezelless displays in upcoming iPhones and has already requested corresponding panels without bezels from its OLED suppliers Samsung Display and LG Display. However, the plan consists of two stages. First, Apple wants to reduce the bezels of this year’s iPhone 15 Pro models. Later, and we’re probably talking about a few years later, Apple wants to introduce full-screen displays. That means there is no longer a camera cutout and the thinnest possible bezel.
Currently, however, there are still some crucial obstacles to Apple’s frameless plans. One of them is the under-display camera (UDC). Currently, the outer display layer for the iPhone 15 Pro is not as thin as it needs to be to accommodate an under-display camera. Added to this is the thin-film encapsulation (TFE), which protects the OLEDs from moisture and oxygen. It is made by laminating an inorganic film and an organic film. The inorganic film blocks moisture and oxygen while the organic film blocks voids in the inorganic film.
The third problem is that Apple is interested in keeping the iPhone’s flat display. And that makes it difficult to bend the screen circuits in the bottom bezel of the display. According to reports, Apple also does not want to install curved displays on the iPhone 15 Pro because they have a magnifying glass effect at the edges. The Californians also assume that curved displays break more easily.
Those are all challenges for Apple’s display vendors that need to be resolved first. Conversely, this means that a truly frameless iPhone will be years away. Apple is said to be finally planning a periscope telephoto lens and larger batteries for this year.
