Apple’s iPads have been using LCD technology ever since the original iPad, and even the new mini-LED
iPad Pro models are still technically using LCD panels, so it should make us wonder why Apple has
refused to switch to OLED over the years, and when they’ll actually be making the switch to OLED..
So in this video, I’m not only gonna answer those questions, but I’m gonna delve into the latest
rumors of how Apple is finishing out the releases of their final LCD and mini-LED iPad models while
setting in stone their Master Plan for switching to OLED displays across their entire iPad lineup.
And I actually think this is quite genius, so without further ado,
let’s begin with some brand new rumors we got over the weekend
concerning Apple’s upcoming iPad Air 5 refresh coming this Spring in either March or April.
According to Mac Otakara, the new Air will be getting the A15 Bionic chip,
the 12MP Ultra-Wide selfie camera with Center Stage support, optional 5G
and Quad-LED true tone flash, which is all very obvious because those are the features that the
iPad Mini 6 recently was upgraded with, so it only makes sense for the iPad Air to get them
as well, especially since the current Air is more expensive than the mini.
Now apart from those obvious updates, Mac Otakara says that we could expect the new iPad Air
to finally get an upgrade to feature quad-speakers instead of the current dual speaker situation on
the iPad Air 4 which is actually pretty weird because it has four speaker grilles, but only two
of them have speakers behind them, so it makes sense for the new one to use all four grilles.
But other than that, they also mentioned that the iPad Air could be getting the same
dual-camera setup as the current iPad Pro models have, and maybe even the LiDAR scanner.
And all of this would actually make sense because Apple has a history of bringing
their best technology to the iPad Pro first and then slowly trickling those features down to the
rest of the iPads, starting with the iPad Air, then the mini, and then finally the budget iPad.
Like for example, DylanDKT on Twitter just confirmed that the upcoming 10th gen budget
iPad will have a very minimal update later this year, with optional 5G connectivity and a new A14
chip, with it being the last model before the big redesign planned for next year.
But the very interesting leaks we gotta get into are the ones for the 2022 iPad Pro models.
First of all, we’re expecting both the 11 and 12.9” models to get the new M2 chip
which will debut in the redesigned MacBook Air,
and that will obviously be much faster than the A15 chip in the upcoming iPad Air 5.
But on top of that, we’re also expecting Apple to give us a huge design change by adding MagSafe
wireless charging to the back of the new iPad Pro models, potentially within a new larger glass
Apple logo which I recently made a video on, and probably even a new MagSafe Magic Keyboard case!
And going further, we also got some rumors of Apple upgrading the camera system
to match the triple-camera setup we currently have on the iPhone 13 Pro lineup,
which is probably why the new Air is getting the old dual-camera system.
And then the final rumor that makes total sense to me is that the 11” iPad Pro
would now finally get the mini-LED display that you can currently only get on the 12.9” model,
and with that, I personally expect the base price to jump up to $899 instead of the current $799.
And then with that said, this finally brings us to Apple’s OLED Master Plan and how they would
kickstart the transition, and brace yourselves because this is about to get interesting.
But first, I need to quickly explain why Apple has avoided OLED for so long..
First of all, OLED has always been pretty expensive,
and there used to be a lot of problems with display burn-in after a few years
and other issues like OLED displays just not being that bright.
But now, OLED technology has been improving, and things like color accuracy, display angles,
color shift and burn-in are drastically improved compared to previous generations, so it seems
like Apple might finally be ready to make the switch, so let’s get into how they’ll do this.
The rumors of the very first OLED iPad began in March of 2021,
with DigiTimes claiming that an OLED 10.9” iPad would come in early 2022,
which we know right now isn’t happening since it’s been delayed.
But the interesting point is that they said it’ll have a 10.9” display,
which can only be the iPad Air, since the Pro model starts at 11 inches.
The same month, Ming-chi Kuo came out and confirmed that the iPad
Air would adopt OLED in 2022, with Mini-LED remaining exclusive to the iPad Pro models
because of the advantages of higher brightness.
And then in June, the Elec basically said the same thing, a new iPad Air with OLED in 2022.
But then, finally, in July, the very reliable Ross Young came out and said that the first
10.9” OLED iPad would not be coming until 2023, so it looks like it has been delayed for sure.
So with all of that said, I can agree that it makes total sense for the iPad
Air to get an OLED display next year, and since the iPad Air is usually on a 1
and a half year update cycle, I expect the OLED model to be released in the Fall of 2023.
But then, everything gets a little bit more confusing because we also got some recent
reports of a new OLED display for Apple’s iPad Pro models which could go from 120hz
down to 10hz refresh rate just like the new iPhone 13 Pro models can.
And over the past week, the Elec confirmed that this new panel would be launching in 2024
using Samsung Display as the manufacturer.
And just yesterday, ET News reported that LG is also preparing to supply OLED panels
for the iPad by 2024.
And what makes all of this really confusing is that we have conflicting
release dates for conflicting iPad models,
but I think I’ve figured out how Apple could make this transition as smooth as possible.
My prediction is that in the Fall of 2023, Apple will release a new iPad Air with an OLED display
that will have much better contrast levels compared to the current LCD models.
However, it won’t be better than the Mini-LED iPad Pro models because the OLED panel will be limited
to around 500-600 nits of brightness, as well as only having a 60hz refresh rate. But either way,
the OLED panel would be a nice upgrade over the old Air, so it’ll justify a price increase.
But then, around half a year later in the Spring of 2024,
I expect Apple to release a new 12.9” iPad Pro model with a better OLED panel because
that’s actually what Digitimes reported on way back in March of last year.
And if you’re wondering what I mean by a better OLED panel, this brings us to a report from the
ELEC back in November, where they claimed that future iPad Pro and MacBook Pro Models
would feature ultra-bright double-stack OLED displays!
So they’ll essentially have two of the same display panel stacked on top of each other
to literally double the brightness so that the iPad Pro models
will still support real HDR with at least 1000 nits of brightness, maybe up to 1200.
And on top of that, the OLED technology would mean that the current display blooming issues
would totally go away, while also enabling them to support
120hz ProMotion like the current models have.
So it would basically create the ultimate OLED display with no compromises, and that would of
course warrant a price increase, as it would be a much better display compared to the iPad Air model
which will only have a single OLED panel limited in brightness and refresh rate.
And then sometime in 2025, I expect the 11” iPad Pro model to get updated with the same OLED
display at a base price of $999, and the iPad Mini to adopt the lower-end OLED display, also in 2025.
And then probably a full year after that, sometime in 2026, the budget iPad will
finally get an OLED display, and that’s how I expect Apple’s full OLED iPad transition
to take place, finishing up completely within around 3 years time, which isn’t bad at all!
So there you guys go, that’s my take on the OLED transition,
and if you totally disagree with my thoughts on how Apple can implement OLED on their iPads,
go ahead and comment down below, but if you enjoyed it, tap like and subscribe
for more videos like this one! Thanks for watching and we’ll see you in the next one!