There have been reports of a bezel-less design for the upcoming iPhone 8. The tech company is said to be working on a new display technology. It might be integrated into the two devices set to be released next year, the new iPhone and iPad. Particularly, a bezel-less display for the iPhone 8 will make it the biggest iPhone yet. This is only if the reports are actually true.
Barclay Research analysts Blayne Curtis, Christopher Hemmelgarn, Thomas O'Malley and Jerry Zhang cited sources with Apple's supply chain. According to Mac Rumors, the analysts said that the bezel-less design will make the size of the new iPhone 8 to 5 inches and the iPhone 8 Plus to 5.8 inches. The larger iPhones are going to be an upgrade from the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus. However, the analysts say such design is not yet 100 percent finalized.
The difference may become evident for loyal iPhone users. There will be a curved display on the left and right side of the screen. The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is a decent example of such curved edges. A bezel-less display is not entirely a new concept. The recently launched Xiaomi Mi MIX copied the rumored iPhone 8 design. Samsung is also working on its own bezel-less smartphone.
In order to achieve such feat, though, Apple has to use the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen technology. This would be the first time for Apple to use the said technology on its iPhones. This has not confirmed yet by the tech company. But according to Mac Rumors, the analysts mentioned in a research note that only the 5.8-inch model will actually be integrated with the OLED display technology.
Apple's rival Samsung could be one of its primary OLED suppliers. It makes sense since the Korean-based company has been using the said technology on some of its devices. LG is the other supplier and Sharp is set to join by 2018.
It should be noted that there were already reports earlier this year about a 5.8-inch iPhone with a curved OLED display. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo specifically mentioned about it. According to Forbes, the Japan-based company Nikkei has also said that the said iPhone will be a premium model.
The integration of the said display and larger screen means that the Home button will be removed. This is needed to have an edge-to-edge design for the iPhone 8. The new iPad will also have an OLED and curved display. According to a KGI Securities analyst, it will likely be launched in 2018.
