The iPhone 12 could get thinner thanks to new screen tech

It looks as though the iPhone 12 could be one of the most substantial iPhone upgrades of recent times – we've heard plenty of rumors and speculation so far, with the latest news from the supply chain pointing to a new type of display technology.

At least some iPhone 12 models will come with OLED screens manufactured by LG, The Elec claims, screens which have touchscreen circuitry embedded in the display itself, rather than on a separate layer.

That means cheaper and thinner screens – possibly leading to a thinner iPhone 12, though we're not holding our breath for a particularly lower price point.

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The same report suggests LG is about to switch to the same LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) screen technology used in the Apple Watch 4 and Apple Watch 5, potentially leading to displays that are more power efficient as well.

Screen time

It's thanks to LTPO that the Apple Watch 5 manages to maintain all-day battery life even with an always-on display, so let's hope for another battery boost with the iPhone 12.

Indeed, the tech might even enable the option of an always-on display on future iPhones – a lock screen that's visible at all times – which is a feature that top-end Android phones have had for a while now.

However, it's not clear whether the LTPO upgrade is going to be in place early enough for the 2020 iPhones. We might have to wait until the 2021 iPhones for that always-on screen.

We could get as many as five new iPhones this year, with four iPhone 12 models joined by an updated iPhone SE 2 device. Cameras and screen sizes are likely to be the main differentiators between them.