While we still don’t have confirmation about what the next round of iPads is going to look like, Samsung and LG have already gotten started making OLED panels for as yet unnamed upcoming iPad models.
Patently Apple says that there’s a new supply chain report saying LG started production of OLED displays in early January, and that Samsung has similarly ramped up production of panels for a larger iPad model.
New OLED iPads are going to happen
While we’re still waiting for WWDC 2024 to show us what the latest iPads are actually going to look like, it already seems certain that some of the models unveiled are going to have OLED displays. At the moment, it looks like LG is making displays for a 13-inch iPad, while Samsung is making panels for an 11-inch iPad.
This would make sense when matched up with previous iPad rumors. We’ve heard rumblings that there are going to be OLED iPad Pros coming out this year, and those two screen sizes would slip right into the current lineup.
This news of production starting up would also fit in with a WWDC 2024 announcement for the new iPads — they would be unveiled at the event, as they have in previous years, and then released later when the production of the new models has been finalized.
More iPads for 2024
The OLED iPad Pro models aren’t the only new iPads that we’re expecting this year — there’s supposed to be a new, larger 13-inch iPad Air to match the larger iPad Pro model, although this one is unlikely to have an OLED screen.
Also unlikely to receive an OLED screen is the iPad mini 7, another potential new iPad coming this year. While it won’t get an OLED panel, the iPad mini 7 is likely to improve in other key areas like processor or camera. Given that we didn’t receive any iPads throughout 2023, it’s more than likely that this year will be filled with iPad announcements — not least of all these new OLED models.
