Shimul Sood / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A new rumor says that Samsung is developing a 3D display for phones at the same time Apple is working on a “Spatial iPhone.”
- An industry observer claims phones with glasses-free 3D displays may be commercially available by 2030.
Apple is reportedly working on an iPhone with a 3D display, potentially using a panel manufactured by Samsung. A rumor making the rounds this week claims that Samsung is developing a glasses-free 3D display panel for phones at the same time Apple is working on a “Spatial iPhone” — and since Apple doesn’t manufacture its own displays, it certainly seems like the two could be related.
As spotted by MacRumors, an industry observer going by Schrödinger posted screenshots on X this week showing messages describing the 3D projects from a contact labeled “Secret Insider.” The messages detail an in-development 3D display from Samsung referred to as “H1,” going on to briefly mention rumors about the so-called Spatial iPhone.
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While glasses-free 3D isn’t new — the Nintendo 3DS launched with a lenticular 3D display in 2011 — the H1 display described in Schrödinger’s tweet would be more advanced. It’d use a “holographic layer” embedded in the AMOLED panel along with eye tracking to create the effect of a three-dimensional image that persists even when the display changes position relative to the viewer (simple lenticular displays only work when viewed head-on).
Samsung is reportedly moving its 3D Plate tech to mobile with the MH1 (H1) display. Forget 2D we’re talking glasses-free holographic depth & spatial AI avatars floating above the glass. More info will be shared on Schrödinger Intel soon… pic.twitter.com/mUysO0Wbv5
This all sounds feasible: Samsung has been working on glasses-free 3D display tech for some time, having published research about holographic displays in 2020. It’s also not unreasonable to assume that if Apple does release a phone with a 3D display, it’ll source the screen from Samsung, though it’s important to note Schrödinger’s purported insider source didn’t explicitly make that connection in the messages shared on X.
In a subsequent tweet, Schrödinger says that phones with holographic 3D displays could reach consumers by 2030, claiming that Samsung’s H1 display is in “phase 1” of research and development.
Consumers haven’t really been enthusiastic about 3D tech to date; 3D TVs failed to stick around past the 2010s, and while the 3DS turned out to be a hit for Nintendo, the 3D aspect in particular wasn’t especially well liked — multiple later revisions of the handheld left out 3D entirely to cut costs.
Would you buy a phone with a 3D display in the next few years? Would you pay extra for that feature? Let us know in the comments.
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