Apple plans to launch new iPad and MacBook models with OLED displays in 2022, according to industry sources quoted by the Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes. The information was shared in the “Before Going to the Press” section with the site’s pay wall, so no further details yet, but the full report should be published tomorrow.
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Apple has gradually increased its adoption of OLED displays, starting with the Apple Watch in 2015. Two years later, the iPhone X became the first iPhone with OLED displays, and since then, Apple has expanded its technology to display across the entire line of iPhone 12. OLED screens have several advantages over LCD screens, including higher brightness, improved contrast with deeper blacks, wider viewing angles, and more.
Macs and iPads still use LCDs, perhaps due in part to the large manufacture of large OLED screens. High-end OLED TVs often cost thousands of dollars, for example, with LCD versions with the same screen sizes that are usually priced much cheaper.
In November, Korean website The Elec reported that Apple planned to launch new iPad Pro models with OLED displays in the second half of 2021 and claimed that Samsung and LG were already in the process of developing the screens. However, that rumor was soon followed by a research note from Barclays analysts who said an iPad with an OLED display does not appear to be up and running this year.
In a research note shared with MacRumors in December, Barclays analysts said an iPad with an OLED display is unlikely to launch until at least 2022, according to its conversations with Apple vendor sources in Asia.
Assuming Apple really plans to launch iPad and MacBook models with OLED screens, 2022 certainly seems like a more likely time period, as Apple is expected to release iPad and MacBook models with Mini-LED backlit LCD screens. this year, and definitely be in a hurry because Apple will switch display technology twice during the same year.
Given that Mini-LED backlit displays offer many of the same advantages as OLEDs, such as high brightness and high contrast, one possibility is that Apple will end up using a combination of the two display technologies across its lines. of iPad and Mac based on prices. Apple’s exact plans remain to be seen, but there is growing evidence that OLED displays will be involved with some capacity for the next year or two.