iPhone 8 release date, news, specs rumors: Sharp confirms partnership with Apple to adopt OLED screen for iPhone 8

The much-hyped iPhone 8 for 2017 will be released just in time for the flagship brand's tenth anniversary. If the rumors are anything to go by, the special iPhone launch next year will be very different than the previous ones, as the iPhone 8 is expected to sport a unique design and more sophisticated lineup of features.

One of the rumored changes that the iPhone 8 will introduce is the handset switching from LCD-powered display to OLED screen panel. Interestingly, this rumor appears to have been confirmed by Sharp's CEO himself, Jeng-wu Tai. It was reported that Apple has signed a partnership with Sharp to adopt the OLED screen display for the next iPhone model. 

 "The iPhone has been evolving and now it is switching from LTPS (low-temperature poly-silicon) to OLED panels," said Tai as he spoke in front of the audience in an event at Tatung University last weekend. "We don't know whether Apple's OLED iPhones will be a hit, but if Apple doesn't walk down this path and transform itself, there will be no innovation. It is a crisis but it is also an opportunity."

BGR noted that the rumors of Apple making the switch to OLED screens for the iPhone handsets have been going on for the past few years. However, earlier rumors suggested that the OLED screen will be incorporated with the iPhone in 2018. This time around, the plan is expected to roll out in an earlier date with the iPhone 8 next year.

Given that the iPhone 8 will be a special tenth-anniversary offering from the Cupertino-based tech giant, one would normally expect that Apple will be introducing something bold and revolutionary with the iPhone's new design. According to Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI securities, the iPhone 8 will get rid of the device's usual aluminum black casing. Instead, the new iPhone will come with an all-glass back design, reportedly developed by Biel and Lens.