Two major OLED display manufacturers will start production of iPad Pro panels in February

The first Apple iPad models ever to be equipped with an OLED panel instead of LCD is expected to be the upcoming 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro (2024) tablets. The pair will replace the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2022). The latter model uses mini-LED backlighting allowing it to have 1,000,000:1 contrast thanks to the 2,500 dimming zones created with this technology. The mini-LED was used as a stopgap as Apple waited for OLED pricing to become more affordable which apparently it has become.

The new iPad Pro (2024) is expected to be unveiled after three new iPad models get refreshed during the first quarter of 2024. We should see the 11th-generation basic iPad hit the market along with a new iPad Air powered by the M2 chip (which replaces the M1 running the current version of the device). And the A17 Pro chip or the A16 Bionic is rumored to replace the A15 Bionic on the seventh-gen iPad mini.

A report by Korea's Chosun Biz (via OLED-info,AppleInsider) says that Samsung Display and LG Display will start production of 10 million OLED panels for the iPad Pro (2024) earlier than expected in February. The report says that each panel will cost Apple three times as much as the OLED panels used on the iPhone. 60% of the orders have gone to LG Display with the remaining 40% sent to Samsung Display.

Apple's tablet business, like the entire industry in general, has been suffering from a post-pandemic drop in demand. During the beginning days of the pandemic, tablets were flying off store shelves as those working from home used them for their jobs during the day and to watch movies at night. Kids were using tablets to help them with remote classes and homework during the day and to play video games and post on social-media sites at night.

But now that people have returned to the office and kids to the school room, demand for the versatile device has waned. As for Apple, it didn't help that the company didn't refresh its iPad line at all during the year. But that is something Apple plans on doing next year.