Apple plans to bring OLED displays to iPad next year, with iPad Pro to get the same treatment in 2023, according to a new report.
The switch will begin with a 10.68-inch rigid panel, likely destined for iPad Air, sources say. Apple has already transitioned its iPhone lineup to OLED screens after first bringing the technology to iPhone X in 2017.
Reliable TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was one of the first to reveal Apple’s plan to bring OLED displays to iPad back in March. Kuo also predicted that iPad Air would make the switch from LCD first.
Now a new report The Elec, citing unnamed sources, echoes those claims. “Cupertino will launch its first ever OLED iPad in 2022,” it reads. “The tablet will sport a 10.86-inch OLED screen.”
Apple will use Samsung displays for OLED iPad
Although the report doesn’t mention iPad Air specifically, that’s the only device in Apple’s lineup that already features a 10.86-inch screen. And while it’s not as high-end as iPad Pro, it is a premium device.
Samsung Display is expected to be the sole supplier of OLED iPad screens initially, the report adds. They are expected to be technically very similar to iPhone’s OLED panels, which Samsung also supplies.
“Next year’s iPad will also use low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) thin-film transistor (TFT) and red, green and blue emission layers. This is the same as the OLED structure Apple uses for its iPhones.”
It’s not clear if Samsung will also supply OLED panels for the 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which The Elec says will happen in 2023. But these are expected to be flexible panels that will allow for thinner bezels.
What about mini-LED?
Apple in April of this year brought mini-LED displays to iPad Pro for the first time. The technology is currently available only in the 12.9-inch model, but was expected to expand its reach in the coming years.
The Elec’s report suggests Apple will now use OLED instead, while Kuo previously stated OLED technology would not come to iPad Pro — devices focused on productivity — due to potential burn-in issues.
Mini-LED solves the burn-in problem that can affect OLED panels, while offering many of the same benefits. Both are superior to LCD, offering deeper blacks and allowing better battery life.
