Apple is well-known for its cutting-edge technology and design, and the company is set to benefit from a new OLED panel etching technology developed by LG.
The Korean company’s new hybrid technology combines rigid OLED glass substrates with flexible OLED thin-film encapsulation (TFE) to create panels that are thinner than traditional rigid OLED panels, while still incurring lower production costs than flexible panels.
LG’s hybrid OLED panel tech to revolutionize Apple’s iPad displays
The new hybrid OLED panels offer several benefits over traditional panels. For one, they are thinner, which allows for slimmer devices. They also require less power than traditional OLED panels because they don’t need a backlighting layer. Additionally, the hybrid panels are more durable than flexible OLED displays because they use rigid glass substrates.
However, the new hybrid panels do have a downside. Because they use ultra-thin glass, they are more vulnerable to breaking during the production process. To mitigate this risk, LG is developing a simultaneous etch-and-cut process.
Apple plans to adopt this new OLED technology in its iPads by 2024, according to a report from The Elec. The report also suggests that Samsung began developing the hybrid technology earlier than LG and will deploy it immediately for the OLED iPad panels it will manufacture on its Gen 6 OLED line.
The new OLED panels are expected to be used in the 11-inch iPad Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models in 2024, according to display industry consultant Ross Young. These models are likely to be the first to benefit from the new technology, although it’s not clear if other iPad models will also adopt the new panels.
Overall, this new OLED etching technology is an exciting development for Apple and the tech industry as a whole. The thinner, more durable panels offer several advantages over traditional OLED panels, and their lower production costs will likely translate into more affordable devices for consumers. It’s clear that Apple and its competitors are constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with technology, and this new OLED technology is just one example of that ongoing innovation.
