OLED panels designated for the next-generation iPad Pro have reportedly entered mass production by Samsung Display and LG Display, according to a machine-translated report from The Elec.
Samsung Display will handle the bulk of orders for 11-inch OLED displays set for the smaller iPad Pro model. On the other hand, LG will take the lead for the 13-inch screen size while also manufacturing a minority of 11-inch displays. Samsung has plans down the line to produce OLED screens for the bigger iPad Pro, but they do not seem to be ready in time for the revamped tablet’s anticipated introduction.
Overall, both manufacturers are expected to jointly produce around eight million OLED panels for the iPad Pro, a slight downward revision from the 10 million figure that was floated a few months ago as demand continues to be “sluggish” for the iPad as a whole. The Elec also warns of an unstable production yield for the OLED displays as both LG and Samsung are using novel technologies to produce Apple’s panels, namely LTPO-TFT and two-stack tandem.
Shipments of the upcoming iPad Pro are said to commence by April, the report adds. This would match up with previous estimates that Apple is looking to introduce the new models by March. The company is also rumored to introduce a larger 12.9-inch iPad Air for the first time soon, with minor updates to the entry-level iPad and iPad mini later in the year.
The upcoming iPad Pro will bring forward an overhaul of the tablet which largely remained unchanged since its current design was released in 2018. According to recent reports, the next-gen device will offer the newly-announced M3 chip, 11-inch and 13-inch OLED displays, and a revamped Magic Keyboard that looks more laptop-like.
