A new report from Korea suggests that Samsung will use IPS-LCD displays in some Note 3 models. The Korean company aims to have about 10% of the Note 3 phones use LCD displays. The rest will use Super AMOLED displays. Apparently Samsung will buy those LCD displays from Sharp (Samsung owns about 3% of the troubled display maker following a recent investment).
Galaxy Note II
The main reason the report gives for this decision is that Samsung may have an AMOLED supply issue. Earlier this month DisplaySearch estimated that AMOLED supply/demand ratio will fall to 1% in Q4 2013 - basically saying that supply will be very tight with a good chance shortages. So perhaps Samsung is working on a backup plan by designing models with LCDs instead of AMOLEDs.
Back in April, the OLED Association claimed that the Note 3 phone will use a YOUM display (a plastic-based unbreakable flexible OLED). This may still be true, but in that case there will be a big difference between the LCD models and the unbreakable flexible OLED models. Earlier in March, SamMobile claimed that according to their sources the Note 3 will use an LCD.
It may be the Samsung has several different models, or that those sources are all wrong, or is that things haven't been decided yet. Samsung is said to unveil the Note 3 during the IFA 2013 exhibition (in September). If that is so, we do not have a long time to wait till we see this fascinating new phablet from Samsung - and know for sure.
