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High-end tech coming to MacBook Pro, iPad Air and iPad mini, reports say
The iPhone X led the way as Apple’s first OLED device, but since its debut in 2017 not much has followed. Yet the 2024 iPad Pro and its Tandem OLED display may be about to open the floodgates, with an almost complete overhaul of Apple’s The iPhone X saw Apple’s first foray into OLED. So far, it’s only been followed by the iPad Pro. product line-up apparently heading our way over the next couple of years.
According to the rumour mill, this could all start happening in 2026. If the leaks are correct, that year will mark the launch of a MacBook Pro, an iPad Air and an iPad mini, all equipped with OLED screens. It would be one of the biggest display upgrade cycles in Apple’s history.
One of the main sources of this information is Korean news website Naver. This outlet claims that Samsung Display ‘has recently begun developing panels for the iPad mini’. In addition, it notes that ‘Apple plans to apply OLED to the iPad mini and Air models’. That’s good news for fans of small and large iPads alike.
The bad news is that Naver doesn’t believe mass production of these screens will begin until the second half of 2025 at the earliest. That would lead to the tablets being launched in 2026. If that comes to pass, it means a two-year wait between the OLED iPad Pro launching and Apple spreading its display tech goodness to other tablets in its roster.
We can see why Apple is doing this – keeping OLED exclusive to the high-end iPad Pro helps cement its flagship status – but it’s a tad disappointing. It also sounds like the 10.9-inch iPad will miss out entirely, although that makes sense given its entry-level pricing.
Still, bringing OLED to a wide selection of iPads is a definite improvement over what happened the last time Apple introduced innovative new display tech. While the company launched its first miniLED screens in the 2021 iPad Pro, it never expanded the offering to any other iPads. This time around, it looks like more of Apple’s tablets will get the upgrade.
