Apple’s long-range display roadmap is starting to come into focus, with a new supply-chain report saying the company wants its 2028 iPhone lineup to move further toward an all-screen look. The plan centers on a next-generation display structure that bends the OLED panel down on all four sides to shrink the visible bezel even more.
The report says Apple may first bring a four-sided curved display approach to its anniversary iPhone next year, but the technology is still expected to evolve after that. In the early version, the cathode layer would reportedly use a magnesium-silver alloy, a choice that could create image distortion and brightness loss near the curved edge areas.
Because smartphone OLED panels are front-emission designs, light has to pass through the cathode layer. That means material transparency matters a lot. To improve edge quality, Apple is said to be targeting an quad-curved OLED design for 2028 that replaces the cathode material with indium zinc oxide, or IZO, in order to better manage brightness consistency, distortion, and heat around the curved perimeter.
Samsung Display and LG Display, both major Apple suppliers, are reportedly already preparing for that transition. Industry sources cited in the report say each company will need to adopt the new process, and related equipment planning for 2028 production is already being discussed.
LG Display recently announced a large OLED infrastructure investment that is believed to be linked to this development and future mass-production readiness. The report adds that low-damage transparent conductive oxide sputtering equipment would be needed during deposition to build the new cathode structure. Samsung is said to be evaluating its own equipment plans as well, although existing smartphone OLED lines may not easily accommodate the new setup. If that holds true, fresh line investment could become part of the path toward Apple’s next push for ultra-thin bezels.
