Apple plans to introduce OLED displays to its iPad and MacBook lineup in the coming years to improve picture quality and energy efficiency. According to SAMMobile, Apple will launch two iPad models with OLED screens in 2026, the iPad Air and iPad mini.
The OLED iPad Air has a 10.9-inch screen, the same size as the current model, and the OLED iPad mini has an 8.7-inch screen, an increase of 0.5 inches over the current model (8.3 inches). Both models have a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, the same as Apple’s other standard models, while the Pro model has a refresh rate of 120Hz.
This comes on top of the new 11-inch and 13-inch OLED iPad Pro models that Apple will introduce next year. Apple will also adopt OLED displays on the 16-inch MacBook Pro by 2025, followed by a 14-inch model in 2026, while the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models will transition from LCD to OLED in 2026.
The advantages of OLED displays are higher contrast, wider color gamut, lower power consumption, and thinner thickness, while the disadvantages are higher cost, shorter lifespan, and susceptibility to screen burn-in. Apple currently uses OLED screens on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series, while still using LCD screens on iPad and MacBook.