Apple has always been kind of slow and hesitant in adopting OLED tech. Some iPhone and Apple Watch products are enjoying the technology and reaping its benefits, but it is yet to come to iPad and MacBook products. Both have been rumored to get OLED soon and according to a new report by research firm Omdia, the iPad might be first in line.
More specifically, Apple is reportedly well on track to bring OLED to its 2024 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models. Production of said models will apparently begin in the first quarter of next year. The source claims that Apple is planning to low-temperature multi-crystalline oxide (LTPO) OLED panels. This substrate is arguably the pinnacle of current OLED tech, which unsurprisingly indicates that Cupertino will likely be using top-of-the-line OLED for its tablets. Makes sense, given that we are talking about the Pro line here. The current Mini LED LCD panels that Apple uses for iPad Pro models already represent some of the best the LCD realm has to offer. And in general, Apple tends to invest heavily in the quality of its displays.
Even compared to Apple’s excellent Mini LED displays, switching to OLED has many benefits. The perfect blacks for once and per-pixel light control for excellent contrast and HDR. There are also power efficiency benefits to be had, and potentially Apple could try to push for even higher brightness levels. As for the LTPO tech, it should allow for very dynamic display refresh rate adjustment to save even more power.
Unfortunately, the report doesn’t just bring good news. If it is to be believed, OLED panels won’t be coming to MacBook models by the end of 2024, as previously rumored. Instead, there are said to be delayed quite a bit and are expected in 2027.
