OLED displays have become the standard for all Apple Watch models as well as every iPhone model that Apple currently sells (save for the iPhone SE). So what’s next for modern standard technology?
As of now, only the 12.9-inch iPad Pro features the mini-LED display technology that allows improved contrast ratio and high brightness levels, and the rest of the iPad lineup sticks with LCD technology. Now, according to The Elec, it looks like we’re going to see OLED panels making their way to the next generation of iPad Pro models next year.
Additionally, a new hybrid technology is planned for those OLED panels that will merge “rigid OLED glass substrates with flexible OLED thin-film encapsulation”, enabling them to be thinner while retaining their rigidity. Traditionally, OLED panels consist of two glass substrates, but in a hybrid OLED panel, the TFE will replace the top glass substrate as part of the OLED’s design. This will be beneficial since this will eliminate the need for a separate backlighting layer and thus will yield lower production expenses.
Because Samsung started developing this hybrid technology earlier than LG, we’ll likely see Samsung manufacturing those OLED panels on its Gen 6 OLED line, rather than LG’s Gen 8 OLED line. Ross Young previously reported that Apple would introduce the said iPad Pro models next year.
