Apple's 2029 "Pro" iPhones could adopt thinner and more power-efficient OLED screens, according to UBI Research.
The technology, known as Color Filter on Encapsulation (CoE), removes the conventional polarizer from the OLED panel and places a color filter directly on top of its encapsulation layer. A polarizer helps suppress reflections from ambient light, but it also absorbs a significant portion of the light produced by the display.
Removing the polarizer allows more light to pass through, potentially enabling a display to reach greater brightness without consuming additional power, or use less power while maintaining the same brightness. Eliminating the separate layer can also make the display assembly thinner, freeing up internal space for components such as the battery, cameras, and more.
Samsung first commercialized the technology, which it branded Eco² OLED, with the Galaxy Z Fold3. According to Samsung's internal testing, its original implementation improved light transmission by 33% and reduced power consumption by up to 25% compared with an OLED panel using a traditional polarizer.
CoE technology presents some technical challenges. Without a polarizer, manufacturers have to control external reflections through a combination of color filters, black pixel-defining layers, low-reflection coatings, and other optical measures. UBI Research believes the difficulty of maintaining outdoor visibility, viewing angles, contrast, and color accuracy may explain why Apple is reportedly waiting until 2029 to bring the technology to its high-volume conventional iPhone models.
Prior to the unveiling of the iPhone Duo, reports indicated that its Samsung-supplied folding OLED display would use CoE technology. Apple has not detailed the panel's internal construction, but UBI Research sees the foldable device as a potential first step toward using polarizer-free OLED displays across the iPhone "Pro" lineup.
The research firm estimates that annual panel demand for the two Pro models could remain between 90 million and 100 million units, making the proposed transition significantly larger in scale than CoE's use in foldable devices. Samsung Display and LG Display are expected to lead the initial supply, while BOE could compete for orders if it can meet Apple's requirements.
