According to recent reports from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple will refresh its entire iPad lineup next year. At this stage, it is unclear which iPad models will be the first to receive upgrades. Prominent analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple will first announce the OLED iPad Pro next year. It is now being reported that Apple will begin OLED panel production next year.
Apple to begin OLED display production for iPad Pro in 2024, with LG and Samsung working as key suppliers
According to the Korean Herald, Apple will start OLED panel production for the iPad Pro in 2024, indicating that the tablet is next in line to be unveiled. The report claims that LG will be Apple’s supplier of choice to begin production of OLED panels in February at its Paju facility in the Gyeonggi Province. Apple decided to start production of OLED panels three months earlier than initially anticipated. This could mean that the company is aiming to announce the new M3 iPad Pro in the first half of next year.
It is believed that the iPad Pro’s OLED panels cost three times that of the iPhone’s OLED panels. It was previously reported that the OLED iPad Pro could be priced as high as $1,800, and if the news has heft, the OLED display would be a significant factor in contributing to a higher price tag. The higher price tag will be translated to 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models as the company plans to end the panel type discrimination between the two models.
The 11-inch iPad Pro currently features an LCD, while the larger 12.9-inch model is equipped with a mini-LED display. Since the 11-inch model also holds the ‘Pro’ moniker, the company should consider incorporating the same display technology in the device. That said, OLED panels will finally make their way to both size variants of the iPad Pro.
There are several benefits that the OLED displays boast over the standard LCD and mini-LED display types. For instance, the OLED panel delivers better contrast ratio and color saturation with deeper blacks. The panel also consumes less power, which could improve the iPad Pro’s battery life. Apple has asked Samsung and LG to manufacture OLED panels for the iPad Pro, with the latter getting 60 percent of the orders from the company. Both suppliers are currently negotiating display costs with Apple.
Apple is also expected to upgrade its entire iPad lineup next year. The company is also planning to launch a new 12.9-inch model of the iPad Air, but it will lack one of the best features of the iPad Pro. Besides, Apple will offer a faster M2 chip on the iPad Air 6 models. As for the OLED iPad Pro models, we can expect the devices to launch in the second quarter of 2024.