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Apple is widely expected to transition from the iPad Pro line to mini LED displays starting in the first quarter of 2021. A new report released today from the Korean supply chain Elec, however, says Apple is also considering adopting OLED displays in the iPad Pro line.
As a reminder, the mini LED is a new form of backlighting used for LCD screens. It offers many of the same benefits as OLED, but can often offer increased brightness, improved energy efficiency, and lower risk of burns.
More recently, a report from last month indicated that Apple would begin the transition to mini-LEDs in the first quarter of 2021. Ming-Chi Kuo also predicted that the iPad Pro would be the first Apple product to use mini LED screens, and perhaps the transition could start with the 12.9-inch model, followed eventually by the 11-inch model.
Interestingly, today’s report from Elec painted a slightly different roadmap for the transition.
The report explains that Apple “is preparing to adopt OLED displays for its iPad Pro tablets launched next year.” The screens would be supplied by Samsung and would use a new manufacturing process to reduce the risk of burns:
Samsung Display was renovating one of its production lines at its A4 factory in Asan to produce OLED screens for the iPad. The company added a distribution chamber to the organic matter deposition chamber to deposit red, green and blue in tandem. This will allow the company to deposit a layer of RGB, return the substrate to the front of the production line, and stack an emitting layer on top.
The tandem structure allows two to three emitting layers to be stacked. This is done to extend the life of the emitting layer compared to using a single layer.
Apple was demanding higher specifications for the OLED that will be used for its Samsung Display iPad Pro and LG Display compared to the screens that iPhones supply, people familiar with the matter said.
The report warns that the adoption of OLED by the iPad Pro could be delayed depending on the “scale of adoption” of the mini LED. Elec corroborates that the iPad Pro LED mini would arrive in the first half of 2021, followed later by OLED.
So if this report turns out to be true, it would mean that Apple is considering moving the iPad Pro to the mini LED as a stepping stone first before moving to OLED.
Elec has accurately reported details about the iPad Pro line in the past, including reports that the iPad Pro would adopt a LiDAR scanner as part of its rear camera system. Nonetheless, today’s report must still be treated with some skepticism as the timeline looks quite aggressive.
What do you think of an iPad Pro with an OLED display? Would you be willing to potentially sacrifice battery life in exchange for the OLED? Let us know in the comments.
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