▶MWC 비공개 행사서 차세대 OLED 디스플레이 선보여
[더인베스터(코리아헤럴드)=김영원기자] 삼성디스플레이가 2월 말 바르셀로나에서 열린 모바일월드콩그레스(Mobile World Congress) 에서 차세대 “3D터치” 기술이 적용된 OLED디스플레이를 선보인 것으로 확인됐다. 업계에서는 9월 출시 예정인 애플 아이폰8 탑재가 유력한 것으로 보고 있다.
14일 한 업계 관계자는 더인베스터에 “화웨이 P9에 사용된 기술보다 민감도와 적용범위가 대폭 확대된 기술”이라며 “삼성전자를 비롯한 다른 고객사들도 3D터치 도입이 임박했다”고 설명했다.
삼성디스플레이는 우선 아이폰8 탑재를 목표로 최근 기술개발에 박차를 가하고 있는 것으로 알려졌다. 애플은 아이폰8에 처음으로 OLED 디스플레이를 적용할 예정인데 삼성디스플레이는 단독으로 패널을 공급하게 된다.
3D터치 혹은 포스터치(Force Touch)는 스마트폰 화면에 가해지는 압력의 세기에 따라 다양한 기능을 구현할 수 있도록 하는 기술로 2015년 출시된 아이폰6s에 처음 탑재되면서 소비자들의 관심을 받고 있다.
삼성디스플레이는 역시 2015년에 출시된 화웨이 P9에 3D터치 기능을 넣은 OLED 디스플레이를 공급하기도 했으나 아직 삼성전자의 제품에는 공급한 적이 없다.
(
wone0102@heraldcorp.com)
Samsung Display working on 3-D Touch for OLED iPhone
[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Display, the display-making unit of tech giant Samsung Electronics, is currently working on a pressure-sensitive touch display based on organic light-emitting diodes for Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8, industry sources said on March 14.
The pressure-sensitive touch functionality, more widely known as 3-D touch or Force Touch, allows compatible devices to sense different levels of pressure on the screen and enables users to utilize diverse smartphone functions such as brining up shortcut menus or zooming photos. The technology was thrust into the limelight when it was first featured in Apple’s iPhone 6s in 2015.
Ahead of the highly anticipated debut of the new iPhone -- the first OLED iPhone -- in September, Samsung Display, the sole OLED supplier, has been ramping up efforts to incorporate a 3-D Touch sensor to the display screen.
“The latest technology boasts higher sensitivity and a wider range of pressure-sensing levels compared to the previous one used in Huawei’s P9 in 2015,” a source told The Investor on condition of anonymity.
According to the source, Samsung Display showcased the display technology to select partners at a VIP meeting during the Mobile World Congress trade show in February in Barcelona. But he declined to further elaborate on the technological upgrades and the attending VIPs.
He also noted that the demonstration event signals the imminent 3-D Touch adoption by Samsung Electronics and other handset makers.
Samsung’s new flagship smartphone Galaxy S8 is expected to partly use the 3-D Touch technology for its “virtual home button” on the bottom of the display screen that allows users to open up menus and navigate the phone, while the fingerprint-scanning home button will be relocated to the back.
After the partial adoption for the S8 that will be unveiled on March 29, sources said, Samsung’s next flagship phones such as the Galaxy Note 8 are likely to embrace the pressure-sensitive touch technology on the entire screen.
Samsung Display’s previous version of a 3-D Touch-equipped OLED display has been used in some smartphones, including the Huawei P9, but its sister firm Samsung Electronics has not yet adopted the display possibly due to less technological sophistication.
By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)