sharp industrial lcd displays factory

With extensive experience in liquid crystal display technologies and considerable manufacturing capacity, Sharp supplies reliable, high-quality LCD modules for a vast range of applications.

Pioneering research in the field of LCDs has led to the development of a number of breakthrough Sharp technologies such as our ultra-low power Memory in Pixel displays and more.

Sharp LCD technologies ensure the highest optical performance and resolutions. Browse our wide selection of standard LCD displays for use in consumer electronics, automotive, industrial automation, medical, home appliances, multimedia, and digital signage applications.

No matter the place, whether a Doctor’s office, a modern retail store, or, a fast-paced factory floor, screens have taken the place of posters and print outs to transmit information. Fast to display information of any kind in full colour and pristine detail, LCD screens also increase efficiency and help decrease unnecessary contact.

At Sharp, whether you are looking for a rugged, industrial-grade TFT LCD from our stock line-up, a display with premium out-of-the-box performance under Sharp warranty, or a specialized multi-touch PCAP or High-Brightness value-added solution, we aim to meet both your specifications and budgetary requirements. Plus, our vast engineering resources and technical support gives you the advantage to get to market quickly.

Our LCD roadmap is continually expanding with new sizes and features to meet a broader set of requirements. Speak with us today to find the perfect solution for your specifications.

The most advanced facility for the integrated production of LCD TVs from the manufacturing of LCD panels to assembly of final products was completed in Kameyama, Mie Perfecture, Japan, and started operation. The plant also provides rationalization in the process of production, inspection and delivery, as well as technology development, resulting in high production efficiency and high value-added performance.

With the expansion of the supply of large LCD panels from the Kameyama factories, Sharp is greatly advancing LCD TV production to meet increasing market needs.

Amidst a recession after the bursting of Japan"s economic bubble, Sharp announced the construction of the world"s largest LCD plant in Taki Town, Mie Prefecture. The news that Sharp, the world leader in LCD, would invest 53 billion yen initially in the facility was the top story in newspapers and on television. Slated to start operation in July of the following year, the plant boasted advanced network CIM (computer integrated manufacturing) and the use of proprietary manufacturing processes and automation, giving it a huge leap in manufacturing efficiency. The facility would mass-produce leading-edge full-color TFT LCDs.

It was 30 years before, on March 18, 1964, that Sharp introduced the CS-10A, the world"s first all-transistor desktop calculator. Although this first model was priced at 500,000 yen, about the same price as a mid-sized car, Sharp went on to manufacture 400 million of the 1.6 billion calculators produced throughout the world as the calculator became the most familiar electronic tool in history. Calculator development spawned a series of technological evolutions that led to advances in semiconductors and LCDs, in the process making a huge contribution to Japan"s electronics industry.

In April, Sharp made waves with the introduction of a reflective-type TFT color LCD that could be viewed clearly in natural or normal room light. Compared to conventional transmissive-type LCD, which required a backlight, this new display used just one-thirtieth the power and boasted a wide viewing angle. The reflective TFT LCD became popular in demand as a display for mobile devices.

In June, Sharp announced the development of a 21-inch TFT color LCD, the world"s largest. This was 1.5 times larger than the 17-inch model Sharp introduced in 1992, showing the world Sharp"s high standard of LCD technology. Sharp had finally broken the 20-inch barrier with this wall-mount TV.

In August, Sharp completed a new plant for the manufacture of air conditioners and microwave ovens. In December, the company added rice cookers to its production repertoire and renamed itself Shanghai Sharp Electronics Co., Ltd. (SSEC).

Less than two years after the LCD ViewCam"s October 1992 introduction, production of the world"s first video camera with LCD screen surpassed the one million mark. The ViewCam was truly a global hit, with 460,000 sold overseas.

It had now been 32 years since Sharp first began mass-producing Japan"s first commercial-use microwave ovens. In 1966, Sharp introduced the first microwave ovens in Japan for home use. In October 1994, worldwide production broke the 40 million mark.

For the second year in a row, Sharp was at the top of the list of companies in Weekly Diamond magazine"s rankings of the best companies and products in Japan. The same year, Sharp received top honors for Company of the Year in the Toyo Keizai Awards, for the Trend Product Awards from Dime magazine, and for the Gold Award from Mono Magazine. All awards praised Sharp for its world-leading LCD technology and its well-balanced business mix of consumer electronics, information products and electronic components.

OSAKA -- Sharp has turned LCD factory operator Sakai Display Products into a wholly owned subsidiary for an estimated 40 billion yen ($296 million), Sharp announced Monday.

Sharp previously held a 20% stake in SDP, which produces large display panels for televisions in the city of Sakai, near Osaka. It acquired the rest from a Samoa-based investment company by handing over 11.45 Sharp shares for each SDP share it received.

Through improvements in LCD parts and materials, monitor weight has been reduced over earlier models, making it easier to transport and install the display.

LCD displays are still going to be around for a long time, at least for smart TVs such as the ones that use Android TV and other operating systems. Today, the massive electronic manufacturing company Foxconn announced a new partnership with Sharp to build and operate a new TV LCD flat-panel factory in China, which will cost $8.8 billion.AMOLED displays set to close in on LCD this year

Reuters reports that the new factory will help with the expected demand of new flat-screen TVs in Asia. Foxconn said that the LCD factory will make 10.5-generation 8K displays, along with screens for smart TVs and electronic whiteboards. Production is expected to begin in 2019.

This news comes even as other companies are embracing OLED displays for both TV as well as smartphones. However, there’s still some life in the LCD market. Panasonic recently announced an LCD IPS display with a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. It is supposed to have 600 times more contrast compared to normal LCD panels, and those levels are close to those found in OLED displays.

Sharp Corporation(シャープ株式会社, is a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products, headquartered in Sakai-ku, Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. Since 2016 it has been majority owned by the Taiwan-based Foxconn Group.Tokyo and takes its name from the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil, which was invented by company founder Tokuji Hayakawa in 1915.

In 1912, Tokuji Hayakawa founded a metal workshop in Tokyo. The first of his many inventions was a snap buckle named "Tokubijo". Another of his inventions was the Ever-Ready Sharp mechanical pencil in 1915. The product became one of the first internationally available mechanical pencils (while concurrent US design replaced it soon and became a modern type), and due to this big success the Sharp Corporation derived its name from it.1923 Great Kantō earthquake, the company relocated to Osaka and began designing the first generation of Japanese radio sets. These went on sale in 1925.

In 1964, the company developed the world"s first transistor calculator (the Sharp CS-10A), which was priced at JP¥535,000 (US$1,400). It took Sharp several years to develop the product as they had no experience in making computing devices at the time. Two years later, in 1966, Sharp introduced its first IC calculator using 145 Mitsubishi Electric-made bipolar ICs, priced at JP¥350,000 (about US$1000). Its first LSI calculator was introduced in 1969. This was the first pocketable calculator priced at less than JP¥100,000 (less than US$300), and turned out to be a popular item.

Sharp produced the first LCD calculator in 1973. Sharp had a working relationship with Nintendo during the 1980s, and was granted licensing rights for the manufacture and development of the C1 NES TV (1983, later released in North America as the Sharp Nintendo Television), the Twin Famicom (1986), the Sharp Famicom Titler (1989), and the SF-1 SNES TV (1990). All of these units are considered collectors items on the secondary market. One of the company"s main inventors of LCD calculators was Tadashi Sasaki.

Sharp introduced low-cost microwave ovens affordable for residential use in the late 1970s. Sharp ventured into the high end stereo market in 1976 with the introduction of high end receivers, amplifiers, speakers, turntables and cassette players. The Optonica line as it was called, consisted of high quality and technically advanced components, that was expanded in 1979, to cover a broader selection of high end equipment. During this run, Sharp introduced digital technology to some of the Optonica products, along with the traditional analogue products, and offered a complete selection of models ranging from low power high end receivers to very powerful models. The line was again changed, in 1981, and moved mainly into digital high end, complete stereo systems with advanced technological features setting the trend towards the digital age. The line was discontinued after 1981, but the Optonica line was again re-introduced in the late 1980s for a high end line of television receivers and higher quality mass market audio products such as VCR"s, surround sound receivers, CD cassette boom boxes, and portable cassette players.

Since 2000, Sharp heavily invested in LCD panel manufacturing plants: Kameyama in 2004, Sakai in 2009. The Sakai plant is still the only 10th generation LCD manufacturing plant on the globe and its best fit for production of 60-inch or larger panels. However, the 2008 financial crisis and strong Yen (especially against Won) significantly lowered world demand for Japanese LCD panels. Furthermore, the switch to digital TV broadcasting was virtually completed in Japan by the middle of 2011. Via Japanese government issued coupons for digital TV sets, consumers were encouraged to purchase digital TV sets until March 2011. This hit the Japanese LCD TV market, reducing it almost by half from 2010. All of those events strongly hit Sharp"s LCD business. As the result, the Sakai LCD plant suffered a reduced operating rate until Q3 2012.

From 2005 to 2010 Sharp was the biggest mobile phone brand in Japan. Since then it has been constantly switching places through financial quarters against rivals Fujitsu, Apple and Sony.

On 25 June 2009, Sharp and Pioneer agreed to form a joint venture comprising their optical businesses, called "Pioneer Digital Design and Manufacturing Corporation".

In 2012 Sharp unveiled the largest production TV at the time, with a screen size of 80 inches. It is part of the Aquos range and went on sale in Japan at around JP¥950,000.

2012 was the 100th anniversary for Sharp but it announced the worst financial record in its history, with a loss of JP¥376 billion (US$4.7 billion) in April 2012. In September, Sharp announced job cuts.

In March 2012 the Taiwan-based electronics company Hon Hai, trading as Foxconn, agreed to acquire a 10% stake in Sharp Corporation for US$806 million, and to purchase up to 50 percent of the LCD displays produced at Sharp"s plant in Sakai, Japan.

After years of huge losses in its overseas TV business, Sharp sold its Mexico TV factory to Chinese electronics manufacturer Hisense for $23.7 million in July 2015. The sale includes rights to use the Sharp brand name and all its channel resources in North and South America, except Brazil. This meant that Sharp has exited the TV market in the Americas (except Brazil).LCD TVs a decade earlier.

Sharp began selling the world"s first commercially available TV with a 8K resolution in October 2015.NHK will have test broadcasts at 8K starting 2016, with regular services expected by the time of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

On 25 February 2016, Foxconn announced its intent to acquire a 66% controlling stake in Sharp for 700 billion yen (US$6.24 billion).contract manufacturer.

In September 2016 Sharp unveiled the Sharp INTELLOS Automated Unmanned Ground Vehicle (A-UGV) at the ASIS International 62nd Annual Seminar and Exhibits (ASIS 2016) in Orlando, Florida.

In June 2017, Sharp sued its Chinese licensee Hisense for damaging the reputation of its brand, seeking an exit from its licensing agreement. Sharp accused the company of producing "shoddily manufactured" televisions under the Sharp name, including products they believed were in violation of U.S. safety standards for electromagnetic radiation, and the subject of deceptive advertising over their quality. Hisense denied that it engaged in these practices, and stated that it planned to defend itself in court and "will continue to manufacture and sell quality televisions under the Sharp licensed brands."

In March 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Sharp announced it would use a TV factory with high-end clean rooms to manufacture surgical masks.

Sharp acquired the remaining shares of Dynabook from Toshiba in August 2020, making Dynabook a wholly owned subsidiary of Sharp. Sharp had first purchased Dynabook from Toshiba in 2018.

The first commercial camera phone was also made by Sharp for the Japanese market in November 2000. Recent products include the ViewCam, the Ultra-Lite notebook PC, the Zaurus personal digital assistant, Sidekick 3, and the AQUOS flat screen television.

Sharp manufactures consumer electronic products, including LCD televisions, sold under the Aquos brand, mobile phones, microwave ovens, Home cinema and audio systems, air purification systems, fax machines and calculators.

For the business market, Sharp also produces projectors and monitors and a variety of photocopiers and Laser Printers, in addition to electronic cash registers and Point of sale technologies.

For the private security industry, Sharp produces an Automated Unmanned Ground Vehicle (A-UGV) named INTELLOS, which utilizes a navigation surveillance platform also developed by Sharp. The system combines automation, mobility, and a variety of monitoring and detection capabilities to extend the impact of a traditional security force.

For the corporate meeting room market, Sharp was the first company to bring the Windows collaboration display to market, which is a 70inch interactive display with built-in unified communication equipment and an IoT sensor hub for measuring environmental room conditions. The Windows collaboration display is conceived to be seamlessly compatible with Microsoft"s Office productivity products, as well as make use of the Microsoft Azure cloud services with the IoT sensor hub generated data.

It operates from 64 bases in 30 countries and its products are distributed in 164 countries worldwide. Many of its regional subsidiaries trade under the name Sharp Electronics.

Sharp"s headquarters are at 1 Takumi-chō, Sakai-ku, Sakai, Japan. Until the relocation to Sakai in 2016, the headquarters were in Abeno-ku, Osaka where Hayakawa restarted the business in the 1920s.

In September 2014, Sharp announced that Slovakian electronics company UMC (Universal Media Corporation /Slovakia/ s.r.o.) was acquiring an exclusive brand licence from Sharp and its European television and audio business UMC will also acquire Sharp"s Polish factory. As part of the deal, Sharp will support the design and development of televisions sold by UMC under the Sharp brand.

The same month, Sharp also announced a tie-up with Vestel in Europe for white goods. Vestel will sell Sharp-branded white goods (except air conditioners), such as refrigerators and microwave ovens manufactured by Sharp in Thailand and China. Sharp will also license its brand name to Vestel for volume home appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and ovens. Sharp"s remaining European business will then focus on the business-to-business sector including multi-function printers and energy solutions.

Malaysia : Sharp has an export-only Television factory at the HICOM Industrial Park in Shah Alam, Selangor.Batu Pahat plant in Johor that manufactures audio-visual Equipment like television sets and Blu-Ray players, and the Sungai Petani plant in Kedah that manufactures radios as well as kitchen appliances like blenders and rice cookers.Petaling Jaya that manufactured television sets, VCRs, microwave ovens, washing machines and refrigerators, this plant was hit badly by the 1997 Asian financial crisis and shut down as Sharp moved the productions of the appliances to either Batu Pahat (TVs and VCRs) or Sungai Petani (microwave ovens), or out of the country altogether (refrigerators and washing machines) in a bid to reduce operating costs.

(former) Mexico : LCD plant (Sharp Electrónica Mexico S.A. de C.V. SEMEX) - established as a color CRT TV plant in 1997; began LCD production in 2003; a second LCD plant on site was opened in 2007.Hisense in 2015.

On November 8, 2008, the United States Department of Justice announced that Sharp had agreed to pay $120 million (United States Dollar) as a criminal fine. According to the announcement, Sharp participated in conspiracies to fix the price of TFT LCD panel for Dell"s computer monitors and laptops (2001–2005), Motorola"s Razr phones (2005–2006) and Apple"s iPod (2005–2006).

On December 18, 2008, Japan Fair Trade Commission ordered Sharp to pay JP¥261 million (US$3 million) as criminal fine. According to the order, Sharp and Hitachi Display participated in the conspiracies to keep the price for TFT LCD panels for Nintendo DS and DS-Lite. The fine for Hitachi Displays was waived by JFTC leniency program.

However, Sharp disagreed with the JFTC order and announced it would begin an appeals procedure against it on 2 February 2009.JFTC dismissed Sharp"s appeal.

In November 2011 Sharp was ranked in 11th place by Greenpeace"s re-launched Guide to Greener Electronics that ranks 15 electronics manufacturers according to their policies and practices to reduce their impact on the climate, produce greener products, and make their operations more sustainable. Greenpeace summarizes the corporation"s environmental record thus: "Sharp supports a new renewable energy law in Japan but scores poor on all sustainable operations criteria".

Sharp scored 3/10 and received most of its points on the Products criteria where the company was praised for the energy efficiency of its products with all of its TVs meeting the latest Energy Star standard. It also gained some points for having a relative long term target to reduce CO2 emissions by two percent (per production unit) compared to the previous year, yet sets out no clear target for absolute reductions. The company was also praised for its public support for a clean energy policy, after advocating the Japanese Government to increase the use of renewable energy.

Sharp scored the fewest points in the guide in the Sustainable Operations category, scoring no points for chemical management due to not communicating commitments made on phasing out hazardous substances in its supply chain. The guide also notes that Sharp had lacked any initiative to address the issue of conflict minerals and the exclusion of paper sourced from suppliers involved in illegal logging or deforestation.

In 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute accused at least 82 major brands, including Sharp Corporation, of being connected to forced Uyghur labor in Xinjiang.

Sharp was the principal sponsor of Manchester United Football Club from 1983 until 2000, in one of the lengthiest and most lucrative sponsorship deals in English football.logo was on the front of United"s shirts over these 17 years, during which the team won seven Premier League titles, five FA Cups, one Football League Cup, one UEFA Cup Winners" Cup, and one UEFA Champions League title.

Sharp NEC Display Solutions offers intelligent technologies and designs for virtually every area of business empowering users to work smarter and maximise productivity and energy efficiency.

There has been a significant shift in the global display industry lately. Apart from new display technologies, the display world is now dominated by players in Asian countries such as China, Korea, and Japan. And rightly so, the world’s best famous LCD module manufacturers come from all these countries.

STONE Technologies is a proud manufacturer of superior quality TFT LCD modules and LCD screens. The company also provides intelligent HMI solutions that perfectly fit in with its excellent hardware offerings.

STONE TFT LCD modules come with a microcontroller unit that has a Cortex A8 1GHz Standard 256MB. Such a module can easily be transformed into an HMI screen. Simple hexadecimal instructions can be used to control the module through the UART port. Furthermore, you can seamlessly develop STONE TFT LCD color user interface modules and add touch control, features to them.

In this post, we list down 10 of the best famous LCD manufacturers globally. We’ll also explore why they became among the reputable LCD module manufacturers in the world.

Samsung is the world’s largest semiconductor and consumer electronics manufacturer by revenue. The electronics giant is well-known for its smartphones and home appliances, but the company also manufactures LCD, LED, and OLED panels.

Probably the most in-demand and popular display panel product for Samsung is their OLED technology. Most of its current smartphones use their trademark Super AMOLED displays. The technology allowed Samsung’s smartphones to be ultra-thin, with better image brightness, and less energy consumption.

Samsung now produces panels for smart TVs. With their ever-evolving technological expertise and high-quality products, the company shows no signs of slowing down as one of the world’s best famous LCD module manufacturers.

Stone provides a professional product line that includes intelligent TFT-LCD modules for civil, advanced, and industrial use. Furthermore, Stone also creates embedded-type industrial PCs. The company’s products are all highly-reliable and stable even when used with humidity, vibration, and high temperatures.

Stone Technologies caters to a wide range of clients and industries, being among the world’s best famous LCD module manufacturers. The company’s products are used in the following industries:

Originally, LG Display was a joint venture of mother company LG Electronics and the Dutch company Phillips. They dedicated the company to creating active-matrix LCD panels. Another joint venture called LG. Phillips Displays was created to manufacture deflection yokes and cathode ray tubes.

LG Display has risen above the rest because of its world-class module products. Because of this, the company caters to a massive range of famous clients including Hewlett Packard, Apple, Sony, Dell, Acer, and Lenovo. LG Display also creates LCD modules and similar display panels for the company’s television product range.

Innolux Corporation is another famous LCD module manufacturer. This company was established in 2003 and is currently based in Zhunan, Miaoli County, Taiwan.

The company is a well-known manufacturer of display panels in Taiwan. Innolux supplies TFT-LCD and LED panels, open cells, and touch modules for the following products:

What makes Innolux stand out from other LCD module manufacturers is the company’s commitment to its humanistic qualities. Innolux believes that they are in the business to contribute to the well-being and prosperity of their customers. This is then achieved by creating world-class products that satisfy its clients.

Sharp is a Japanese company founded in 1912. It is now based in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. The company produces various kinds of electronic products including mobile phones, LCD panels, calculators, PV solar cells, and consumer electronics. Sharp has produced TFT-LCD products as early as the 1980s.

For the regular public consumers, Sharp produces a variety of smart TVs and LCD TVs marketed under the Aquos brand. The company’s television line-up boasts of impressively high-quality technology. The TVs are equipped with technologies that support 4K and 8K UHD display, allowing for a great high-resolution viewing experience.

Meanwhile, Sharp operates several factories worldwide. Apart from plants in its native Japan, Sharp also has manufacturing plants in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Poland.

Sharp credits its success to the company’s commitment to sincerity and creativity. Sharp believes that sincere work and a creative mindset will bring fruitful progress for its clients, dealers, shareholders, and the entire company worldwide.

Sustainability is among the ultimate goals of AU Optronics. The company takes steps to integrate green solutions into their products for more sustainable development. This commitment to sustainability, among other strong qualities, makes AU Optronics one of the best LCD manufacturers in the world.

Toshiba is a huge Japanese multinational conglomerate company. It was founded in 1939 and is currently based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company is engaged in a wide variety of businesses which also include display solutions for consumer households and industrial use.

Most of these products use TFT-LCD panels alongside other technologies to create ultra-high-definition images. Also, modern Toshiba display products incorporate IoT and artificial intelligence for a smarter product experience.

Kyocera is a Japanese LCD manufacturer. The company started in 1959 as a fine technical ceramics manufacturer but gradually added consumer electronics products to its offerings.

The Japanese company acquired Optrex Corporation in 2012. The acquisition paved the way for creating an R&D center and more production, sales, and marketing bases. Hence, Kyocera’s global LCD business boomed even more.

The company also operates factories, R&D centers, and marketing facilities in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, North and South America, and Oceania continents. Kyocera has a vast worldwide reach that makes it one of the world’s best famous LCD module manufacturers.

All these high-end technologies make Tianma’s display products suitable for automotive, mobile phones, tablet PCs, industrial screens, avionic displays, medical equipment, and home automation products.

To wrap all this up, we listed 10 of the world’s best famous LCD module manufacturers. These are all highly-respected companies that built their reputations and climbed up the ladder of LCD module manufacturing. Their quality products, dedication to their craft, and excellent customer service truly make them among the world’s best display solutions providers.

Sharp is the latest Apple supplier to announce plans to move part of its production out of China. The news follows Trump’s latest escalation of the US trade war with China …

Foxconn appears to be taking full advantage of its acquisition of Sharp as the display maker is reported to be setting up an OLED production line at an iPhone assembly factory. All of the OLED production there is said to be destined for upcoming iPhone models, according to a Nikkei report cited by

Sharp plans to invest JPY100 billion (US$864 million) to set up an OLED production line at Foxconn Electronics’ factory in Zhengzhou City, northern China.

Japan’s Nikkei again reports on upcoming features for Apple’s next iPhone just a month after the launch of the iPhone 7. Three days ago, it reported that there would be 3 versions of the all glass-backed iPhone 8 line including a 5-inch screen model. Today the news organization is reporting that at least the biggest model will use a OLED and Sharp could be making some of those future OLED displays in the US. expand full story

With Apple expected to switch to OLED screens for future iPhones, it appears that it may not need to rely completely on the two major manufacturers for long. While Samsung and LG currently manufacture most of the world’s OLED screens between them, Nikkei reports that Sharp expects to be doing the same ‘before 2018’ …

With most reports now agreeing that Apple will switch to OLED displays in iPhones in either 2017 or 2018 (but no consensus yet on which of the two years), UBI Research has now added fuel to the idea that not all models will benefit from the new screen technology.

While the 30% figure could be explained by Apple launching its new iPhones late in the year, the ‘80% by 2020’ number would mean Apple continuing to manufacture some new models with the older IPS LCD screen tech for some time to come …

Following the on-off-on-again acquisition of display-maker Sharp by Foxconn, the company has announced that 12 of the 13 board members – including CEO Kozo Takahashi – will step down once the takeover process is complete. The WSJ reports that the announcement follows deepening losses at the company.

Apple’s decline in iPhone sales is unsurprisingly having a knock-on effect on its key suppliers, with the WSJ reporting that Foxconn, Pegatron, Sharp, Japan Display and Sony have all reported falling profits or losses as a result.

It had always seemed obvious that Foxconn’s reason for buying display-maker Sharp was to acquire the capacity to make OLED displays for future iPhones – and a supply-chain report today supports this.

Sharp will set up one 4.5G and two 6G AMOLED production lines with monthly capacity of 13,000, 11,500 and 34,500 glass substrates respectively, with total monthly capacity of 9.85 million 5.5-inch equivalent panels.

Apple currently used OLED displays only in the Apple Watch, still relying on older LCD displays for the iPhone, but numerous reports suggest that the company plans to switch to OLED screens for iPhones at some point in 2017 or 2018.

Foxconn’s acquisition of Japanese display-maker Sharp looks likely to help Apple reduce its dependence on Samsung as it prepares for a transition from LCD to OLED displays.

Sharp can springboard off its existing technology to develop the screens, says Alberto Moel, a technology analyst for Bernstein Research. The two types use the same backbone, but OLED screens are topped with a layer of organic compounds instead of the liquid crystal layer for LCDs. “The first part of the production process is similar,” he said.

Apple currently used OLED displays only in the Apple Watch, but is widely expected to switch to the newer display technology in the iPhone in either 2017 or 2018. While Samsung looks set to be Apple’s lead supplier, that’s something the iPhone maker will want to change over time.

Deja vu? The Foxconn acquisition of Sharp was almost a done deal a few weeks ago, until Sharp revealed some additional liabilities at the eleventh hour it had not previously disclosed. This meant Foxconn had to go back to the drawing board and re-assess the deal, renegotiating some parts of the contract with Sharp. The initial offer was worth $6.2 billion. Today, the companies announced Foxconn will buy Sharp in a $3.5 billion dollar deal.

Japan’s Sharp Corp and Taiwan’s Foxconn are set to sign a merger deal this week after repeated delays, with the two sides set to agree on a smaller bailout than originally planned for the troubled Japanese electronics maker, two sources familiar with the talks said.

Various potential deals appear to be under discussion with both Mizuho Bank and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ. These include paying the banks less for the shares they hold, reducing the interest rate payable on a joint loan to Sharp and agreeing that the banks will provide financial support in the event that the feared liabilities do indeed materialize after the deal is done.

It was initially reported last month that the deal had been done before details of potential Sharp liabilities put it into doubt. Negotiations then resumed.

It had been suggested at one stage that Apple may help to support the deal, but as there has been no recent mention of this, we’d say this currently seems unlikely. Foxconn has, however, long played a role in helping keep Sharp afloat.

First reports of Foxconn’s interest in purchasing Sharp’s display division emerged last September, when it was reported that Apple would come on board as an investor. Foxconn made a $5.3B bid in January, and it was initially reported that the deal had been concluded last week.

Plans for iPhone assembler Foxconn to acquire Sharp, allowing it to move into making displays for future devices, now appear in significant doubt. Initially reported in Japan as a done deal, the

Sharp Corp on Friday scrambled to salvage a sale to Taiwanese electronics assembler Foxconn as its stock plunged and investors questioned whether the companies could restore trust to make their proposed marriage work after an 11th-hour breakdown in talks …

Update: The WSJ reports that the deal is not yet certain. Sharp may come with some potential financial risks, which Foxconn is evaluating before it actually signs the deal.

Foxconn Technology Group said Thursday it is delaying the signing of a definitive takeover agreement with Sharp Corp. due to new details that the Japanese electronics maker disclosed a day earlier.

Foxconn didn’t elaborate in its statement, but people familiar with the matter said that the Taiwanese iPhone assembler is putting the Sharp deal on hold after reviewing the Japanese firm’s future financial risk. The people said Foxconn received a list of about ¥350 billion yen worth of “contingent liabilities” from Sharp on Wednesday.

Last month it was reported that Apple manufacturer Foxconn had bid $5.3 billion to acquire Japanese display maker Sharp, who has faced numerous financial and manufacturing difficulties over recent years. Now, Japanese news outlet Nikkei Asian Review reports that Sharp has accepted an offer from Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known as Foxconn, for $6.2 billion.

iPhone manufacturer Foxconn has posted a $5.3 billion bid to buy Sharp, the Japanese display manufacturer who has faced financial difficulties in recent years. iPhone displays are currently manufactured by Sharp, Samsung and LG and assembled at Foxconn’s plant. A successful Sharp purchase puts Foxconn in the position to make iPhone display components, going beyond assembly.

According to a report out of Bloomberg, Apple has opened a secret production laboratory in northern Tawain to focus on developing new display technologies. The report claims that the lab, located in Longtan, has at least 50 engineers and various other employees working to develop iPhone and iPad displays.

According to a report from Nikkei Asian Review, Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn has proposed to purchase Sharp’s LCD business. The deal would see Foxconn hold a majority stake in the company, while Apple would also come on board as an investor. The exact breakdown of the partnership between Foxconn and Apple in purchasing Sharp’s LCD business is unclear at this point, but Apple already controls a major portion of the business…

The device will enter production by the end of the third quarter and go into mass production in the fourth. Sharp will provide Open Cell LCD displays while [Foxconn subsidiary] GIS will provide GF touch panels.

So Apple didn’t release a 4K (or 5K) standalone Retina display alongside the new 5K iMac, but you can’t hold off any longer on a shiny new display for your Mac Pro. I found myself in the same predicament not too long ago and decided to put a number of displays to the test in recent months. 4K might offer 4x the resolution of your standard 1080p display, but for the short time they’ve been around, they’ve also cost about 4x as much as the alternatives. The good news: There are a few Mac Pro compatible 4K displays (and UHD alternatives) finally starting to hit more reasonable price points just as recent OS X updates fix some issues early adopters first had with the higher resolution displays.

I’ve been testing Mac Pro compatible displays from Dell, Sharp, Samsung, LG, and others that are officially supported by Apple, and put together a list of my thoughts and top picks for those planning on picking up a new Mac Pro this holiday season. Despite my tests being done mostly on a new, stock Mac Pro, these picks stand for Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook users as well.