According to several sources, Apple will introduce major changes in the iPad launching in 2024 like a new display, advanced processor, and improved camera. Nikkie Asia’s latest report reconfirms that the OLED iPad Pro will launch next year.
Furthermore, the Cupertino tech giant will expand the use of advanced OLED displays to MacBook models in 2025 and foldable iPads in the future.
2024 OLED iPad Pro might be more expensive than the current models
Apple uses OLED screens on iPhones and until 2021, the company used LCD in all iPads and MacBook models. In May 2021, Apple launched the M1 iPad Pro with a mini-LED display and in October, the company introduced the MacBook Pro with the mini-LED display.
Although the mini-LED display’s quality was highly praised, it appears that Apple is not going to continue with the display tech and will switch to OLED.
- Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) tech uses LEDs that produce light from organic molecules and works without a backlight to display deeper blacks, infinite contrast ratio, and higher image depth, and maintain consistent picture quality regardless of the viewing angle. The tech is ideal for gaming.
- mini-LED (Light Emitting Diode) tech uses a large number of small LEDs that produce local-dimming zones to display extremely bright images but not as pixel-perfect as OLED.
As OLED tech is more expensive than mini-LED, it has not been widely adopted in the industry for mid to large-size electronic devices. Therefore, it is likely that the new OLED iPad Pro models will be more expensive than the current iPad Pro models.
Having said that, it is also expected that the OLED iPad Pro will “rattle the global display industry” because Apple is the world’s largest tablet manufacturer and likely convince other brands would switch to OLED tablets.
The rise in the use of OLED in smartphones, tablets, and computer would further stimulate supply chain investments for the technology and bring down its cost.
Apple rattled the global display industry back in 2020 when it switched to using OLED displays for its premium iPhones. Doing the same for iPads would be similarly disruptive, as it is the world’s largest tablet maker. It shipped 60.4 million iPads last year, giving it a 37.4% global market share, according to IDC. Samsung came in second with 30.3 million units and an 18.6% market share.
For tablets, counterpoint forecasts that 15% will use OLED screens in the second quarter of 2024, up from about 8% currently.
Having both the industry leaders using OLED for their tablets would likely convince other brands to follow suit, further stimulating supply chain investments for the technology. Nikkie Asia
After the launch of the OLED iPad Pro in 2024, it is stated that Apple will introduce OLED tech in MacBook models in 2025 and foldable iPad in the future.
Previously, it was speculated that Apple would launch a foldable iPad before launching a foldable iPhone which could also debut in 2025.
The report corroborates claims made by tech analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo who reported that Apple plans to upgrade the entire tablet lineup in 2024 including iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPad. The new iPad models would feature advanced processors, displays, camera systems, and USB-C ports.
However, only iPad Pro models would be upgraded with OLED screens, along with M3 chips and an advanced camera system.
