Apple iPad Models With Thinner, Lighter OLED Displays Coming in 2024: Report

Apple iPad models are expected to arrive with OLED displays in 2024. As per a new report, the Cupertino giant is producing final prototypes of OLED iPad units with its domestic display partners in South Korea. The report also suggests details about the display panel fabrication of the next-gen tablet models. Apple is said to add the dry-etching process to iPad production for the first time. The manufacturing process involves the use of gas chemicals to remove unwanted parts using chemical technology when making thin film transistor (TFT) circuit patterns. This process allows the OLED panel to be thinner and lighter. The application of the dry-etching process is likely to increase the price of iPad models.

As per a report by ETNews, Apple is now producing final prototypes of iPad with OLED displays with its domestic display partners. This could refer to Samsung and LG. The future iPad models are said to come with a lightweight design and improved image quality. The company, for the first time, will reportedly use a process called dry etching that involves chemically eliminating unnecessary parts while making thin-film transistor (TFT) circuit pattern. The display can be etched to make the display thinner and lighter. The application of the new production process is likely to increase the price of iPad models.

The company has skipped the dry etching technology for the production of the iPhone. As per the report, the OLED panel in the iPhone units is lighter than the liquid crystal display (LCD) of the past iPhone models and could increase the production cost. Apple is reportedly working to add special coatings to increase the durability of the thin panel. Samsung and LG Display are expected to supply the OLED panels.

Apple is also said to introduce new MacBook and iPad Pro models with OLED displays sometime in 2024. The company could launch its new 13.3-inch MacBook with the OLED display, alongside the rumoured 11- and 12.9-inch OLED iPad Pro models. All three OLED display-equipped Apple devices are said to use tandem stack technology that helps boost brightness and lifespan alongside ensuring a 30 percent less power consumption. The new screens are also speculated to offer a variable refresh rate between 1–120Hz using the low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) technology.