iPhone 8 will probably nab THIS ingenious solution from the Samsung Galaxy S8
APPLE is expected to debut a new edge-to-edge display with its upcoming iPhone 8. The design will purportedly be similar to the Galaxy S8 – and as a result, the next-generation iPhone might have to empty the same ingenious solution to burn-in.
iPhone 8 will reportedly include a design similar to the Galaxy S8, and the solution to OLED burn-in
The iPhone 8 will reportedly sport an edge-to-edge display, dual-cameras on the front and rear, and a Touch ID sensor either embedded beneath the glass display.
Apple is believed to have placed a blockbuster order for 70 million OLED panels from rival Samsung.
There are a number of benefits of moving from LCD, the technology used in current generation iPhone handsets, and OLED panels.
Unlike LCD displays, which use a backlight to illuminate their pixels, the pixels that make up an OLED panel produce their own light source.
As a result, the contrast on an OLED panel is much greater than LCD – since the pixels in an OLED display have the ability to produce no light whatsoever.
Apple already employs this technology in the Apple Watch.
This allows the Watch to eke more battery life from its relatively small cell, since the dark portions of the Watch face are not sapping any power – since those pixels are not producing any light. Unfortunately, one of the problems with OLED displays is burn-in.
For those who don't know, burn-in is the faded, ghost-like residue of a image leftover from displaying the same picture for too long.
The Galaxy S8 actively moves around the clock and notification symbols that appear on the Always-on Display to prevent burn-in.
Samsung uses the same solution with its on-screen Home Button.
These GalaxyClub photographs show the Home Button moving around on the Galaxy S8 display
Because this virtual button can't bounce around the screen in the same way as the Always-on Display interface, Samsung cleverly shifts the Home Button a few pixels at a time every so often. Samsung fan blog GalaxyClub managed to photograph the phenomenon.
It's a simple solution to the problem, and should ensure there is no burn-in around the bottom of the edge-to-edge dual-curved OLED display.
Since the Home Button only jumps a few pixels at a time, most users won't even notice that it's going on.
This elegant workaround raises an interesting question – how will Apple overcome this issue with the Apple iPhone 8?
Like rival Samsung, the Cupertino-based company is expected to drop the physical Home Button from the front of the phone, allowing the display to bleed to the very edge of the chassis.
If the latest rumours are true, and Apple decides to make the jump to OLED panels – then the on-screen Home Button will also have to avoid burn-in.
It seems likely that Apple will employ the same solution as Samsung.
Although, it is possible the company decides not to have a virtual button permanently on screen. Apple already uses haptic feedback to provide feedback to users when tapping the display.
Apple iPhone 8 is purportedly scheduled for a September 2017 launch window, alongside the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus, which will only feature a few minor tweaks on the current-generation phones.