iPhone 17 Air to feature new OLED screens made by Novatek

Apple could be sourcing a new type of OLED display for its iPhone 17, and presumably the rumored iPhone 17 Air. Coincidentally, a Taiwanese company called Novatek has confirmed it will begin mass-producing a new OLED display next year.

Is Apple going to source OLED displays from Novatek?

Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 series recently. The company started shipping the latest iPhones to the early buyers late last month. However, this hasn’t stopped the rumors about the iPhone 17 series from surfacing.

A recent rumor claimed that the iPhone 17 and the slimmer model, presumably called iPhone 17 Slim or iPhone 17 Pro, will have 120Hz displays. Now, a Taiwanese company called Novatek has announced it will ramp up production of a new OLED display next year, which would be ideal for the upcoming iPhone 17 models.

According to DigiTimes, Novatek has announced plans to commence mass production of its highly anticipated OLED TDDI technology as early as the second quarter of 2025. Novatek is one of Taiwan’s leading display driver IC (DDI) manufacturers.

It is important to note that neither Apple nor Novatek have confirmed the latter’s display will be on next year’s iPhone model. However, the timing of Novatek’s scheduled production roadmap and the expected launch of the iPhone 17 Air in the fall of 2025 might not be a mere coincidence.

iPhone 17 Air will have a new, thinner OLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate

Previous reports have suggested the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air will finally get a 120Hz refresh rate ProMotion technology. This would be a big leap in display tech compared to the current generation iPhone 16.

The latest iPhone 16 and 16 Plus feature displays that support only a 60Hz refresh rate. To support the higher refresh rate and still maintain a slim profile, the iPhone 17 Air devices would need new display tech.

Novatek has confirmed it will mass-produce displays with its highly anticipated OLED TDDI technology. A big advantage of embedding an OLED TDDI display is that it allows thinner screens. Needless to say, this could be the ideal screen technology for the rumored iPhone 17 Air.