Apple asks Samsung to seal iPhone 14 Pro models with inkjet printing

The biggest highlight of the iPhone 14 Pro model is the Smart Island solution, the hardware for which was provided by Samsung in addition to the software interaction design. According to a report by Korean media outlet The Elec, Samsung was forced by Apple to seal the OLED screen openings around the island using Ink Jet Printing (IJP) to prevent oxygen or moisture from entering and thus prolonging the life of the panel.

 

On the iPhone 13, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Plus models, Samsung only used OLED inkjet printing in the lamination process; on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models, Apple required Samsung to use OLED inkjet printing on the touch layer to increase the durability of the screen.

 

Samsung said it originally planned to use only laser cutting and sealing, but Apple insisted that inkjet printing be used to seal the edges of the lingering islands and create an "isolated area" that would separate the lingering islands from the rest of the OLED screen while eliminating the inevitable height drop at the edges due to the cuts that pierce the uninterrupted panel.

 

In other words, at Apple's repeated request, Samsung was forced to use inkjet printing methods to complete edge sealing on openings such as the lingering island, which it had never done before.

 

Apple had also asked LG Display to make such a screen, but its level of craftsmanship could not meet Apple's requirements. So the iPhone 14 Pro's screen was supplied entirely by Samsung. But sources say LG Display's current process level has met Apple's requirements, which means the iPhone 15 Pro model could use LG's screen.

 

IT House learned that ink-jet printing (Ink-jet printing, IJP) is the OLED material dissolved in a solvent to form a solution, and then sprayed with a nozzle and an extremely small volume (leather upgrade, 1 × 10-12 L), a small drop of ink is printed precisely to the pixel electrodes, dried to form the device's film layer. This process theoretically achieves 100% material utilization and is not limited in size, corresponding to various sizes without any stress.