Rumor: Sharp will start display production for ‘next’ iPhone in June

The specifics of the fabled iPhone 5S have yet to be determined, but a Japan-based report says the production of the display is set to start next month.

Sharp is the company said to be pumping out the displays for the “next” iPhone. Beginning in June, Sharp’s Kameyama plant will churn out LCDs for Apple’s latest, reports Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, a major Japanese newspaper.

The Kameyama plant hasn’t been used much recently, a side effect of Sharp’s waning LCD business. In 2012, the plant’s use dropped to 40 percent of its monthly 600-million unit capacity but the next iPhone’s display should bring the plant back to “full production.” Due to Sharp’s decline, the company has been forced to take on investments from Apple suppliers like Foxconn and Samsung, which would explain Sharp’s role in creating the newest iPhone.

The Japanese paper also says the next iPhone will have “similar” specifications to the current model, further feeding rumors of a minor update. Like we’ve speculated before, it’s becoming more and more clear that the follow-up iPhone will be a 5S not a 6.

Similar display orders have been placed at LG Display and Japan Display – a combination of the former Sony Mobile Display, Hitachi Displays, and Toshiba Mobile Display. Mass production is said to already be underway at LG and Japan Display, with Sharp presumably hired to help speed production along.

The iPhone 5S is rumored to carry over the admittedly stellar display used in the iPhone 5. A few rumors point to a fingerprint sensor, an inclusion that has led to speculation that the iPhone 5S could be delayed. The debut of iOS 7 is also said to come to the iPhone 5S, which further fuels rumors of a delay as we know iOS 7 is currently experiencing developmental delays.

No word on whether or not any of the display companies are also working on smaller screens for a budget iPhone. Guess that particular rumor will have to continue being suspended in limbo.

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