ETNews: Apple delays CoE and LTPO+ for anniversary iPhone Pro — near-borderless still on track

ETNews (Kim Yeong-ho, September 23, 2026) reports that Apple is expected to postpone two advanced display technologies — Color Filter on Encapsulation (CoE / COE) and LTPO+ — that had been under consideration for next year’s 20th-anniversary iPhone Pro models. Separately, display analyst firm UBI Research, as summarized by MacRumors (Hartley Charlton, September 22) and AppleInsider, estimates CoE on conventional Pro iPhones around late 2029.

These are industry-source / research-firm claims, not an Apple announcement. Plans can still change.

What’s still on track (per ETNews)

ETNews says Apple is still expected to move forward with a four-sided bending display for the anniversary Pros — a panel that curves around all four edges to create a near-borderless, full-screen look. 9to5Mac (Ryan Christoffel) frames that as the defining design bet remaining intact, even as some efficiency/thinness upgrades slip.

What CoE and LTPO+ were meant to do

Per ETNews and UBI Research coverage:

• CoE (Color Filter on Encapsulation) places a color filter on the OLED encapsulation and can remove the conventional polarizer. That can improve light transmission (Samsung previously claimed large gains on earlier Eco² OLED foldables), enabling higher brightness at the same power — or similar brightness at lower power — and a thinner stack.
• LTPO+ is described as an evolution that leans more on oxide transistors, aiming to cut some ELA process steps while improving power efficiency.

ETNews notes Apple had been preparing related work with Samsung Display and LG Display. No revised public adoption date for CoE/LTPO+ is given in the ETNews piece; UBI’s ~2029 Pro timeline is the clearest secondary estimate for CoE on high-volume slab Pros.

Why the delay (reported reasons)

ETNews cites two industry explanations:

1. Memory-price inflation (“chipflation”) is already lifting iPhone bill-of-materials costs, making extra display-cost harder to absorb.
2. Apple is said to want better performance than current CoE / LTPO+ options deliver, while materials and processes may not yet meet its maturity bar.

UBI Research, via MacRumors, also stresses how hard polarizer-free outdoor visibility, viewing angles, contrast, and color accuracy are at iPhone Pro scale (roughly 90–100 million Pro panels a year in UBI’s estimate) versus foldable volumes.

Duo angle

UBI Research had expected CoE on iPhone Duo’s folding OLED; Apple has not detailed the panel stack, and teardowns have not publicly confirmed it. MacRumors treats Duo as a possible first step before CoE spreads to conventional Pros — now framed later, around 2029, if UBI is right.

What this does not mean

• It does not cancel the rumored near-borderless / four-sided anniversary design (ETNews still expects that path).
• It does not confirm 2027 hardware specs — only that two efficiency/thinness technologies are reported delayed.
• Apple has not commented in these reports.

Bottom line: The anniversary Pro story, as reported this week, is splitting: form-factor drama (near-borderless) stays, while CoE / LTPO+ efficiency upgrades look pushed out — with UBI pointing toward late 2029 for CoE on slab Pros.

For the anniversary iPhone Pro, what matters more to you?

Yes — near-borderless matters more than CoE/LTPO+Prefer brighter/thinner panels even if design is incrementalBoth matter — disappointed if CoE slips to ~2029Unsure — wait for more confirmation

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Sources: ETNews — Kim Yeong-ho (Sept. 23, 2026); MacRumors — Hartley Charlton / UBI Research (Sept. 22, 2026); AppleInsider; 9to5Mac — Ryan Christoffel.