According to South Korean media, Apple is considering reintroducing a thinner “iPhone Air” in 2027, the 20th anniversary of the iPhone’s launch. To this end, Apple is evaluating a “CoE” (Color filter on Encap) display technology that facilitates thinner panels.
CoE technology is an innovation that replaces the polarizing plate used in traditional OLEDs to prevent external light reflection with a color filter, and modifies the conventional Pixel Definition Layer (PDL) to a black PDL. By eliminating the polarizing plate, this technology enhances light transmittance, reduces power consumption, and enables thinner screens.
According to industry insiders, Apple is currently reviewing plans to launch an iPhone Air featuring CoE technology in 2027, and a final decision on whether to adopt this technology and release this model is expected to be made in the third quarter of this year. It has also been reported that Apple is considering equipping this potential iPhone Air with other new technologies besides CoE.
Apple has not previously applied CoE technology to any iPhone. The company plans to first adopt CoE on its first foldable device, expected to be released in the second half of this year. Meanwhile, its competitor Samsung has planned to apply CoE technology to the S26 Ultra, which will be released in the first quarter of this year after the foldable screen phone. This will be the first model of Samsung’s straight-edge smartphone to adopt this technology.
It is reported that Samsung Display, which supplies the panels for Apple’s first folding device and related Samsung models, refers to its CoE technology as “OCF” (On-Cell Film). In anticipation of Apple potentially launching an iPhone Air featuring CoE in 2027, South Korea’s two major panel manufacturers have begun to prepare.
Samsung Display is discussing with its partners about supplementary investment for its 6th-generation OLED production line to cope with potential increased demand in the future. Meanwhile, LG Display has already initiated a related supplementary investment plan due to the lack of a production line capable of handling the CoE process. The company announced a plan to invest KRW 1.26 trillion by 2027 in June last year, part of which will be used to ensure CoE process equipment.
However, there are still uncertainties in this matter. Some industry observers point out that if Apple delays the launch of the iPhone Air with CoE, then this additional investment by panel manufacturers may ultimately prove to be premature. Apple is developing new technologies such as Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide (LTPO) for the 2027 iPhone, some of which are technically challenging.
It is worth noting that Apple has decided not to include an Air model in this year’s iPhone 18 series, as the Air model that was first added to the iPhone 17 series last year did not meet sales expectations.
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