Report: Apple to Release 5th-Gen iPad Air With OLED Display Next Year

Apple plans to release a 10.8-inch iPad with an OLED display next year, followed by the company's second ‌iPad‌ with an OLED display in 2023, according to a new report from The Elec.

The Elec, which has a mixed track record on reporting on Apple's plans, claims that the ‌iPad‌ being planned for release next year will feature a 10.8-inch screen size, likely hinting it may be the 5th generation iPad Air. According to the report, the ‌iPad‌ will use a rigid OLED display panel that "stacks organic material and inorganic material in alternative layers to protect the organic material from water and oxygen."

Looking out to 2023, Apple is reportedly planning multiple iPads with an OLED display that will use flexible OLED display panels rather than rigid OLED. For the 2023 iPads, the company may also implement LTPO technology which enables ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate, a feature currently exclusive to the iPad Pro.

For the iPads launching in 2023, Cupertino could use flexible OLED over rigid OLED. It could also change the TFT from LTPS to low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO). The RGB emission layer could also be the "tandem" structure where two layers of them are stacked together.

A separate report in May, from the South Korean website ETNews, said that Apple will use OLED panels in "some" iPad models starting next year but didn't specify which iPads.

Today's report, outlining a 10.86-inch screen size, likely means it will be an updated ‌iPad Air‌. Apple last updated the ‌iPad Air‌ this past fall with an updated all-screen design and the company's flagship A14 Bionic processor. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also previously reported that an updated iPad Air in 2022 will adopt OLED displays, while mini-LED, just launched this past April in the ‌iPad Pro‌, will remain exclusive to the high-end ‌iPad‌.