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Apple’s Shift To OLED Screens For Mobile PCs
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Apple’s IT OLED panel roadmap is expected to increase the market share of OLED displays in mobile PCs, according to new research from Omdia’s Displays practice. The roadmap is discovered by Senior Director David Hsieh, who notes that the 11- and 12.9-inch OLED iPad Pros will be adopted in 2024.
Apple’s Transition To OLED Screens
Apple began using OLED screens in 2024 after they had already achieved popularity in the tablet and laptop PC markets, while LCD technology was still widely used. Apple’s mobile PC devices, including the iPad Air, iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, iPad mini, MacBook Air, and maybe a foldable iPad, have since adopted OLED screens. It is anticipated that this action will increase OLED’s market share. Therefore, by 2028, sales of mobile PC OLED panels will reach 72.3 million units, or a 14% penetration rate in the overall mobile PC display market, due to Apple’s rapid introduction of OLED for its mobile PCs.
Apple’s OLED Screens Roadmap By Omdia Estimation
We summarized the roadmap as follows:
- Apple plans to release the 12.9- and 11-inch iPad Pro in 2024
- An 8.3-inch OLED iPad mini tablet PC will release in 2026, and a 10.8-inch OLED iPad Air tablet PC with a single-structure RGB OLED and an LTPS backplane in 2027. According to Omdia, BOE will start manufacturing these panels in 2027 at its recently constructed flexible OLED Gen 8.6 fab. These panels will be produced in Samsung Display’s current Gen 6 flexible OLED factory. Whether LG Display will supply the panels is uncertain.
- Apple plans to replace the current Mini LED backlight models of its MacBook Pro computers with 13.6- and 15.3-inch hybrid OLED (oxide TFT/RGB tandem) screens, with major production anticipated in 2026. According to Omdia, BOE intends to start producing these panels in 2027 at its recently constructed foldable LTPS backplane OLED Gen 8.6 fab. The panel will be supplied by Samsung Display’s recently constructed oxide backplane Gen 8.6 bendable OLED fab. It’s still unclear if LG Display will provide the panels.
- Apple is thinking of adding OLED screens with single-structure RGB and an LTPS backplane to the MacBook Air. The MacBook Pro with OLED’s marketing status in 2026 will, however, determine this choice. The MacBook Air won’t go from LCD to OLED until 2027, assuming it is thought to be significant. Targeting the mainstream market, the OLED MacBook Air will have a 60Hz frame rate, which is less than the MacBook Pro’s specifications. If Apple launched the MacBook Air with OLED, BOE may be the panel provider. This is because the MacBook Pro OLED is the target of Samsung Display’s Gen 8.6 fab capacity. LG Display may choose to concentrate its Gen 6 OLED capabilities on the iPad Pro OLED rather than supply the MacBook Air OLED.
- In 2027 and later, Apple could release a 20.3-inch foldable OLED with a tandem RGB OLED structure and an LTPO backplane.
OLED screens are now being used in devices from Lenovo, Samsung Galaxy, Dell, HP, ASUS, BBK, Huawei, Xiaomi, and LG Electronics. In 2024, Apple is expected to join them.
Marketing of Mobile OLED Panels
Deliveries of mobile OLED panels for tablet and notebook PC apps are anticipated to increase significantly beginning in 2024. The adoption of the Apple iPad Pro and MacBook Pro, the mass manufacturing of the new hybrid OLED and tandem RGB structure OLED panels, the ongoing cost reduction of panel producers with increased economic scale, and the impending Gen 8.6 OLED new fabs from BOE and Samsung Display are the main drivers.
