07/24 Update below. This post was originally published on July 21
According to multiple iPhone 14 leaks, Apple’s new entry-level iPhone will be almost identical to its predecessor. But now momentum is gathering around one surprising upgrade, which has the potential to leave rivals behind.
Speaking to me, respected industry display specialist Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), revealed that Samsung’s ‘M12 OLED material set’ display tech is coming to all iPhone 14 models. And considering that it didn’t even make Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S22 Ultra, this is a shock.
Apple iPhone 14 range based on multiple leaks
The news also builds on an earlier report from The Elec, which said M12 was under consideration by Apple. But no one seriously expected it to be used in every iPhone 14 model, and I would have been cynical myself were it not for Young’s remarkable track record,
So what is M12? In essence, it comprises the red, green and blue pixel’s dopant, host and prime elements in OLED displays. What M12 brings to the table is improved display performance, color accuracy and energy efficiency. Given that displays are one of the greatest power drains in a smartphone, this latter capability is key. Especially with leaks claiming iPhone 14 battery capacities will be similar to the iPhone 13 line-up.
07/23 Update: further details around the iPhone 14 range’s production have now leaked. In a tweet thread, influential TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, revealed that Apple has added a new supplier to aid with the widespread problem of chip shortages impacting the sector.
Kuo explained that SG Micro has “passed the quality certification of the higher-end iPhone 14 and will likely ship the PMICs (battery and level shifter) for the iPhone 14 in 2H22.”
Battery capacities are one of the main talking points around the iPhone 14 range. While the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max and iPhone 14 Pro all alledged to receive small boosts, the iPhone 14 Pro Max battery is tipped to be smaller than its predecessor.
Power efficiency has been a calling card of Apple hardware in recent years, so it will be fascinating to see how this is managed in the iPhone 14 lineup, and the addition of SG Micro looks well timed.
07/24 Update: Ross Young has provided additional updates about the adoption of M12 on the iPhone 14 lineup, and it isn’t all good news.
While previously stating that M12 will increase the power efficiency of iPhone 14 displays compared to their predecessors, he explained that this doesn’t mean they will be class-leading in other areas. “The S22 Ultra will still likely be brighter due to the MLA/MLP structure, which boosted brightness to 1750 nits. But [it] should be better than iPhone 13,” he told me.
This makes sense. For context, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro are rated at 800 and 1000 nits peak brightness, respectively, so the generational jump would have had to be massive. Moreover, Apple has never been interested in winning a spec war, and it fits that the company would prioritize efficiency first.
Interestingly, Young also gave context around Samsung’s omission of M12 in the Galaxy S22 lineup, saying that the “timing didn’t work out. M12 only just launching.” So it looks like Samsung’s loss will be Apple’s gain — at least until the Galaxy S23 lineup launches early next year.
So why didn’t Samsung put this tech in its Galaxy S22 lineup? According to The Elec it came down to cost-cutting. However, that will be hard for some Galaxy fans to stomach when the Galaxy S22 Ultra is almost twice the price of an iPhone 14.
iPhone 14 Pro Max renders based on multiple leaks
Consequently, the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Galaxy S22 Plus use M11 (the same as 2021 models), while the standard Galaxy S22 only has M10, a generation first used by the Galaxy S20 range in 2020.
Yes, iPhone 14 prices are tipped to increase across the range, but Apple fans will point to all the little things the company continues to get right with its devices. And this looks set to be another one.
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