It's being report today by the WSJ that an iPhone with a curved screen could be on store shelves as soon as next year though there's some heavy skepticism in ther report about that particular feature. The report notes that "Apple may decide not to release the model because it is one of more than 10 prototypes being considered." The rumor of a 'curved glass' casing was rumored in March by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo at KGI Securities.

The report further noted that "Apple suppliers say they have been asked to increase output of thinner organic light emitting displays and submit prototype screens with better resolution than ones from Samsung to differentiate its models.

At present Samsung Display currently dominates the market for smartphone OLED screens and is one of a few companies that can mass produce the displays.

People familiar with the matter said Apple will likely rely on Samsung for most of its initial OLED needs but it wants LG Display, Japan Display and Sharp to ramp up production to have supplies ready for 2018."

Foxconn who acquired Sharp is promising to have OLED displays as early as next year but volume production could take until 2018. LG admited back in July that they missed the smartphone trend and shift to OLED and are now going full tilt to get up to speed to become an iPhone supplier for 2018. The advantage to LG is that they're working on foldable and flexible displays which is what Apple is looking for. As for Japan Display, Patently Apple reported earlier this month that the Japanese government is likely to bail the company out of its current problems to enable them to jump into the OLED market and back in with Apple's supply chain.

The WSJ report Display noted that "makers haven't yet perfected flexible screens and it could take several more years before consumers can get their hands on a bendable phone, analysts say.

"Several players in the display industry already have the technology to make OLEDs foldable and rollable," said Jerry Kang, a display analyst at IHS Markit, though he was cautious about forecasting when they could be commercialized.

Components inside the panels such as the touch sensor and lens cover would restrict their flexibility, said Mr. Kang.

To hedge its bets, Japan Display has been marketing next-generation LCD panels it calls "Full Active" to Chinese handset makers. JDI says its new LCD panels, which use film rather than glass as the base material, would be similar to OLED when it comes to flexibility, picture quality and shelf life."

After reading the full WSJ report it was difficult to see a curved display iPhone coming to market next year, contrary to its byline of "Apple iPhone With Curved Screen Could Come as Soon as Next Year." While a curved display is still being considered, it may be the lack of a second OLED supplier that may be concerning Apple to introduce the curved display for next year.

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