Apple working with new suppliers on new OLED technology for future iPads

We all know that tablets live and die by their displays. As the premier media consumption devices, their dependence on their screens cannot be understated. Hence, it is largely unsurprising that Apple’s adoption of mini-LED technology with the 12.9” iPad Pro firmly consolidated the latter’s position as the king of tablets.

However, mini-LED, as much of an improvement as it is, is not here to stay. There have been many rumors concerning a potential OLED iPad for quite some time now. Now, as the 2022 iPad Pro is nearly upon us, one thing is very much certain - OLED iPads will not become a reality in the near future. But that hardly means Apple has given up on the idea.

According to a recent article, Apple is continuing to allocate a considerable amount of resources in an effort to produce ‘hybrid’ OLED panels, with new suppliers being used to hasten the process. This information was first brought forward in a dedicated article by 9to5Mac.

Essentially, Apple wants to combine rigid OLED panels with flexible ones in order to rectify the shortcomings of the latter. One of the main reasons why only the iPhone has transitioned to OLED technology is an inherent limitation of flexible OLED displays. Namely, that the latter, when sufficiently big enough, have the tendency to “crumple” .

iPhones with their smaller screens are not susceptible to this issue, but iPads, especially the ones approaching and/or surpassing 10”, can crumple to a point where the warping is visible. Hence, Apple’s determination to circumvent this limitation through ‘hybrid’ OLED technology.

There is still no precise timeframe for the iPad’s transition to OLED. According to the source, we can expect the first ‘hybrid’ OLED iPads to arrive between 2023 and 2026. A likely early adopter could be Apple’s rumored gigantic 14” iPad.