Apple may switch to OLED with a big 5.8-inch screen on iPhone 8 – but it’ll cost a lot

It seems Apple might finally be making the switch to OLED panels with the upcoming iPhone 8. Japanese outlet Nikkei Asian Review reports that – in addition to two LCD-equipped variants – the Cupertino behemoth will also put out a premium iPhone model with a large OLED screen.

Backing up previous speculation, the report suggests the primo handset will likely sport a 5.8-inch curved display with very little bezel. In comparison, the lower-end models are expected to come with a 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch panels respectively.

In light of recent rumors hinting the Big A could be scheming to introduce a brand new Touch Bar-style function area in favor of Touch ID, Apple will likely spare a certain part of the screen to accommodate the new feature. Still, you can expect at least 5.15-inch of usable screen space.

While Nikkei makes no mention of potential partners to build the panels, Apple was previously said to have struck a deal with Samsung that will see the South Korean phone-maker manufacture 160 million OLED panels for the new iPhone.

The new additions are intended to hike the price of the next-generation iPhone, with earlier reports speculating the final price could surpass the $1,000 mark.

Among other things, the next-gen handset is slated to land in three different models that will likely all diverge radically from previous models as far as design goes. Unfortunately, we’ll likely have to wait a few more years before the iPhone finally swaps out the proprietary Lightning connector with USB-C.