Apple asks Samsung and LG to develop bezel-less OLED panels for future iPhones.

According to rumors, Apple has asked its OLED suppliers Samsung Display and LG Display to create bezel-free OLED panels. Apple's strategy consists of two parts: first, it wants to make this year's iPhone 15 Pro models' bezels smaller, and second, possibly in a few years, it wants to switch to a complete display. That calls for a bezel that is as narrow as feasible and no camera cutout.

The key lies in the term "possible." Apple's aspirations to drop the bezel are currently hindered by a few significant challenges. One is the under-panel camera (UPC), which cannot be used with an under-display camera because the outer film layer is currently too thick. The OLED is then shielded from oxygen and moisture by a thin-film encapsulation (TFE). It is created by stacking two films, one organic and one inorganic. The organic film fills up any gaps left by the inorganic film while the inorganic film prevents moisture and oxygen from entering.

The third problem is that Apple wants to keep the iPhone's flat display, which makes it challenging to bend the screen circuitry in the display's bottom bezel. According to rumors, Apple doesn't want a curved display because of the magnifying glass effect it creates at the borders and because it thinks curved panels are more prone to breaking.

All these difficulties for Apple's display partners mean that a bezel-free iPhone is still years away.