The era of LTPO displays on iPhone is coming to an end

LTPO (Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) displays have been a part of Apple flagships since the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Now, the company is looking for a successor, and it has set its sights on HMO (High Mobility Oxide) displays as the new standard for the iPhone.

Apple wants HMO displays on the iPhone

According to a new report (translated source), Apple is getting ready to begin the transition from LTPO displays to HMO displays on its products. HMO display technology is relatively very new, and it will take a good few years before we see our first iPhone with an HMO screen.

However, much like what happened with LTPO, the industry may quickly adapt HMO displays if Apple goes all in and manages to produce something better than the former.

Why HMO displays may succeed LTPO panels

So, what exactly makes HMO displays more enticing than the LTPO displays of today? According to the report, there are three major advantages to HMO displays, all of which might directly affect the end consumer in a positive way.

For starters, HMO displays would allow Apple to achieve higher resolutions on its phones. If the iPhone keeps increasing in size, Apple will be able to keep increasing its resolution as well, to maintain today’s level of clarity on larger screens.

Secondly, HMO panels use less power than LTPO displays. If Apple continues to use standard Li-ion batteries (though, admittedly, it used a silicon-carbon anode in the iPhone 17), then lower power consumption will obviously help a great deal in extending battery life. And, if the company switches to silicon-carbon batteries entirely, the lowered power consumption will still help.

Lastly, HMO displays cost less to manufacture than their LTPO counterparts. A reduction in the manufacturing costs might allow Apple to keep its prices lower than expected for a few more generations, which is great news for consumers.

Enough to set an industrywide trend?

Will HMO panels take the smartphone industry by storm? Or will phone manufacturers still stick with LTPO because that’s what they’re used to?

If I had to guess, then in a few years we’ll start to see LTPO start getting phased out across the industry, at least for flagship phones. Even if nothing else, the reduced manufacturing costs themselves should be incentive enough for most phone manufacturers to make the switch.

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