Apple’s Quest for a Seamless Curved Phone

Apple is pushing its partners to create a new kind of OLED panel that bends on all four sides for a 2028 iPhone. The company wants a screen that rolls around the edges without the jagged look seen in today’s curved phones. To achieve this, Apple is asking Samsung and LG to produce a special cathode material called IZO, or Indium Zinc Oxide. IZO is more transparent than the usual cathodes used in OLEDs, letting light pass through better and reducing distortion where the screen curves. LG Display has already invested about $770 million in new production lines for this technology. Samsung is still deciding whether to build dedicated factories for IZO panels. Apple does not wait for a decision; it needs the display ready to keep its release schedule on track.

The main hurdle is that making IZO cathodes requires new sputtering equipment that current OLED plants do not have. Even though Samsung’s Galaxy S phones already feature curved displays, Apple wants to go further by bending the screen on every edge. Simply copying existing curved designs would not solve the optical problems that appear when all four sides are flexed. Apple’s plan is to wait until the IZO technology matures before shipping a curved iPhone. The company may release its 20th‑anniversary model in 2027 without the improved display, but Apple typically delays launch until it feels the product is flawless. Thus, a fully curved screen might only appear in the 2028 edition.

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