Apple May Not Launch iPad Air With OLED Screen Anytime Soon

Last Updated on December 21, 2021 by Rupesh Patil

According to popular Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the Cupertino-based company has decided not to make a switch to OLED panels for its upcoming iPad Air. The company will instead replace a regular LCD display with an LCD panel with Mini-LED-based backlighting. As per the report from the TF International Securities‘ research team, headed by, Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple’s decision is driven by “concerns around quality and costs.“

To add more context to the news, there were plenty of speculations surrounding next year’s iPad Air‌ embracing the OLED screen. However, now that seems unlikely. Apart from adding up to the cost, an OLED iPad Air would have also cannibalised into the sales of iPad Pro sporting an LCD with mini-LED backlight. As of now, only the 12.9-inch iPad Pro features a mini-LED display while the 11-inch iPad Pro is slated to use the same screen tech next year.

Apple’s mini-LED display technology was supposed to address the poor contrast and brightness uniformity associated with regular LCDs. However, things didn’t quite go according to the plans. Right after the release of its first iPad with a mini-LED screen, users started reporting weird “blooming” issues on their brand new 12.9-inch iPad Pro. This is one of the reasons why many experts expected Apple to make a switch to OLED for next year’s line-up.

The latest news is going to be a bit disappointing for the Apple fans who won’t be getting an iPhone 13-like OLED on their iPad anytime soon. However, for those willing to make a switch to the other side, Samsung offers Galaxy Tab S7+ with a stunning OLED screen.