Apple is exploring new suppliers for OLED-on-Silicon panels, possibly signaling the development of a more affordable headset designed to sit alongside the Vision Pro, Elec reports.
The Korean website has apparently discovered a change in Apple’s supply chain management for OLED-on-Silicon (OLEDoS) panels, a key component in the Vision Pro headset. Sony currently provides these high-resolution microdisplays, but its limited production capacity of up to 900,000 panels per year and lack of expansion plans have prompted Apple to look for alternatives for the future. Apple has apparently issued a request for information (RFI) to Samsung Display and LG Display to evaluate their capabilities to produce larger OLEDoS panels ranging from 2.0 to 2.1 inches in size with a display density of around 1700 pixels per inch (PPI).
These displays will be larger than those currently used in Vision Pro and will have a lower resolution. The Vision Pro uses Sony’s OLEDoS panels with a 1.42-inch screen with a pixel density of nearly 3400 PPI, using a white OLED display with color filter technology (wOLED+CF). This advanced display technology is one of the main reasons for the high price of the headset.
At Displayweek 2024, both Samsung and LG showed off advances in OLED microdisplay technology that could appeal to Apple. Samsung unveiled a 1.03-inch RGB (direct emission) OLED microdisplay developed in collaboration with eMagin, which promises higher brightness levels compared to the wOLED+CF method. Meanwhile, LG revealed a 1.3-inch 4K OLED micro display with 10,000 nits, using a micro lens array (MLA) to increase brightness by about 40 percent.
Apple’s interest in larger, lower-resolution OLEDoS panels than those used in the Vision Pro suggests they could be destined for a new, cheaper mixed-reality headset. Apple has been rumored to be working on such a device for over a year, and recent indications are that it may be designed to connect to an iPhone or Mac to eliminate the need for an expensive processor. The cheaper Apple Vision headphones could be on the market as soon as late next year.
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