Apple might be making huge modifications to the shows of the iPad mini, iPad Air, and MacBook Air, if a show roadmap is to be believed, together with transitioning the fashions to OLED ranging from 2026.
Apple has steadily been including OLED to its merchandise, but it surely has to date solely used the show know-how in its premium iPad Professional line. Whereas it’s anticipated to ultimately make extra OLED merchandise, it’s unclear precisely when that may occur.
If a product roadmap launched to X on Thursday is to be believed, then the subsequent replace may occur in 2026. The roadmap, sourced from Omdia and shared by “@Jukanlosreve,” outlines what Apple’s subsequent strikes might be with reference to OLED.
The earliest iPad change is 2026, the chart provides, with the iPad mini getting an 8.4-inch rounded nook hybrid OLED show. Recognized as having a single RGB layer relatively than the Tandem method within the iPad Professional, it is usually set to make use of an LTPS TFT.
The identical yr, the MacBook Professional line is anticipated to change to a hybrid OLED Tandem show, with an Oxide TFT. The shows are additionally stated to be barely greater, listed at 14.3 inches and 16.3 inches as an alternative of 14.2 and 16.2 inches respectively.
By 2027, the iPad Air is alleged to get its personal 11-inch and 13-inch hybrid OLED show, with a single RGB layer and LTPS.
The schedule states there will probably be numerous exercise in 2028, with the iPad Professional fashions persevering with to make use of 11-inch and 13-inch hybrid OLED Tandem shows with LTPO TFT, but additionally TSP on TFE (Contact Sensor Panel on Skinny Movie Encapsulation) and a Polarizer-less design.
On the similar time, the MacBook Air will use barely bigger 13.8-inch and 15.5-inch hybrid OLED shows, with LTPO or an oxide TFT in addition to TSP on TFE.
Lastly for 2028, the rumored foldable system will include an 18.8-inch foldable Tandem OLED with LTPO TFT, TSP on TFE, and with out a polarizer.
Fairly believable
The supply of the leak is not straight from Apple or a provider. Omdia is an analytics agency, which muddies the water about whether or not to belief the schedule or not. It’s probably that the analysts who created it researched the subject by analyzing the provision chain and different elements, so this can be an informed guess at finest.
Nevertheless, it is an informed guess that’s consistent with the ideas of others. When requested to debate the roadmap, DSCC’s Ross Younger, who focuses on shows, agreed with it.
In his X response, Younger stated he “introduced one thing related yesterday on the OLEDs World Summit.” He notes that he made one distinction in his model, in that the MacBook Air will “have an oxide backplane.”
Earlier rumor reporting on the OLED shows additionally broadly agree with the schedule.
A November report stated the MacBook Air’s OLED show was delayed from a rumored 2027 launch to 2028. In the meantime in Could, it was claimed Apple provide associate Samsung Show was engaged on a brand new iPad mini display screen utilizing OLED, destined for a 2026 launch.