Apple's iPhone 16 might have a new OLED display driver on the way

When Apple releases the iPhone 16 family of devices later this year there could be a new OLED display driver inside, according to a new report. While Apple has yet to confirm the news, it's thought that Novatek has picked up a new order for drivers ahead of the iPhone 16 manufacturing run.

The news, which comes via a paywalled DigiTimes report that was spotted by 9to5Mac, notes that a big increase in Novatek's orders of OLED Display Driver ICs (DDI) has been observed, with Apple being the customer in question.

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Novatek is no stranger to Apple's supply chain so this move isn't a particularly surprising one, but it's another indication that Apple is readying the supply chain for its next generation of iPhones. It might also suggest that Apple is keen to diversify production, ensuring that there is less chance for a bottleneck further down the line.

While Apple has yet to confirm the new iPhones, it would be a huge surprise if it didn't stick to its usual release cadence of announcing new models in September. We're expecting the company to announce the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max in the first half of September before then making them available in Apple Stores around 10 days later. We also expect that Apple will announce the rumored Apple Watch X and a refreshed Apple Watch Ultra at the same event, too.

Long before then, Apple is set to announce the OLED iPad Pro and a revamped iPad Air lineup at a streamed event on May 7.