Suppliers are already working on second gen OLED displays for future iPads

Apple has been making iPads for a long time but even in 2022 we still don’t have one that comes with an OLED display, considered to be the best in terms of contrast, black levels, and color reproduction. That is not to say we won’t see such an iPad in the future, though!

At the moment, word on the street is that both LG and Samsung are already intending to supply Apple with 6th-gen OLED display panels for the company’s first OLED iPads. Apple is rumored to launch 11-inch and 12.9-inch models of said iPads sometime in 2024.

A recent report by The Elec claims that Samsung Display would even “likely be able to mass-produce Gen 8.5 OLED panels in late 2024 to aim for Apple’s second-generation OLED iPad.” Whether the supplier would actually go along with that is not certain yet, however. That decision is said to happen by the end of July. (via 9to5Mac)

The report fits in nicely with a previous one from the same source, claiming that Samsung Display might want to invest more into 8.5 OLED panels if Apple ends up adopting the technology more widely.

Whatever the case, an OLED iPad from Apple is more likely to happen than not. Currently, the Cupertino company is the only major tablet manufacturer that uses mini-LED display technology, although exclusively for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

That being said, reputable display analyst Ross Young recently said in a tweet that even Apple would soon come to adopt OLED screens in more devices than just its iPhones. He says that the tech will improve vastly in the upcoming years “thanks to tandem stacks, phosphorescent blue emitters, etc.” The cost is also predicted to drop significantly.

For now, it is rather unlikely we will see an iPad with an OLED screen this or even next year, but 2024 might finally be the year Apple introduced the first generation to its tablet lineup.