Japan Display, formed by Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi, will start mass production of OLED displays in 2018, the company has confirmed. Apple is rumored to release an OLED-based iPhone the same year.

One more OLED manufacturer
Last month, rumors surfaced that Japan Display had plans to start producing OLED displays for a new OLED-based iPhone that is expected to be released in 2018. The company has now confirmed that it will indeed start mass production in 2018.

- "We will take advantage of our advanced thin-film transistor technology in developing OLED screens," said Akio Takimoto, chief of Japan Display's research center, according to Reuters.


Japan Display is a joint venture between Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi. The company has received a $2 billion investment from Japan’s Innovation Network Corp (INCJ), a state-backed fund, and has been researching OLED for several years.

Japan Display did not share details on its plans. The company is currently focused on small/medium sized display panels for phones and tablets. It is believed that Japan Display has chosen 2018 because Apple plans to introduce a new “iPhone 8” with an OLED display in the same year. Japan Display already supplies LCD panels for Apple’s iPhone.

LG and Samsung are also currently ramping up OLED production capacity. LG recently announced a $9 billion OLED factory and Samsung is rumored to invest a similar amount in a new factory.

- Source: Reuters