Apple has officially announced that a special event called "Unleashed" will take place on May 7 at 10 p.m. Beijing time. Based on various sources, it seems that the new iPad series products and Apple Pencil will receive updates.
A recent report indicates that the next-generation iPad Pro will be the first to adopt OLED displays in two sizes. Furthermore, Apple is gearing up to use the best OLED panels available on the market for the 2024 iPad Pro.
According to Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young, the new iPad Pro models will indeed come with OLED displays. He also emphasized that Apple has chosen the "best OLED tablet panels on the market" for their new tablet.
OLED panels use organic materials and have the characteristic of emitting light when powered. Unlike LCD displays, these panels do not require backlighting, and each pixel is individually controlled—this feature allows OLED screens to display higher contrast and deeper blacks. When the display needs to show a pure black image, the screen pixels can be completely turned off to achieve a very pure dark area.
However, OLED also has its drawbacks, such as lower brightness compared to backlit panels and susceptibility to burn-in.
Previously, Ross Young mentioned that the launch of the new iPad was delayed, partly due to Samsung facing "technical challenges" in producing these advanced OLED panels. It is clear that Apple aims to use the best panels in the iPad to achieve an improvement in contrast over the older iPad Pro screens.
The OLED iPad panel is expected to become the best OLED tablet panel on the market to date, featuring LTPO, 120Hz refresh rate, serial stacking, and glass thinning technology, achieving an ultra-thin and lightweight display with high brightness, longer battery life, and extended lifespan," according to a report by Ross Young to investors.
To make these displays brighter and more efficient, Apple has opted for panels with a two-layer serial structure. This means the display has two emitting layers, doubling the brightness compared to traditional OLED panels. The two-layer serial structure significantly extends the display's lifespan, which is crucial for products like the iPad.
Ross Young also points out that, due to the absence of a backlight layer, OLED panels are much thinner than LCD panels. This is also why the 2024 iPad Pro models are expected to be thinner, possibly due to the adoption of new display technologies.
Apple currently uses a standard LCD panel in the 11-inch iPad Pro and a mini-LED panel in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. For those unfamiliar, mini-LED utilizes multiple backlight zones to enhance contrast, though it falls short of reproducing perfect blacks like OLED. In certain scenarios, OLED panels can also help extend battery life.
Apple is set to unveil new iPads and related products on May 7th at 10:00 PM Beijing time, and Tianji.com will be covering the event extensively.
