2022 iPad Pro and MacBook Could Feature OLED Displays

BY Mahit Huilgol

Published 4 Mar 2021

Previous reports have hinted that Apple’s 2022 device lineup will come with an OLED display. The latest report by Digitimes claims that iPad and MacBook models will get OLED display in 2022. Digitimes has released a part of the report, while the detailed report will be released tomorrow(Updated with full report).

The current generation of Mac and iPads use LCDs. Perhaps this is because larger OLED displays are expensive to manufacture. For instance, OLED TVs are much more costly than LCD TV of the same size. That said, OLED displays offer an enhanced viewing experience, viewing angles, and better contrast.

The sources pointed out that the first device to come with an OLED panel is likely to be a 10.9-inch ‌iPad‌, set to begin volume production in the fourth quarter of 2021 for an official release in 2022.

The US brand reportedly is also considering adopting OLED panels for its 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ and 16- to 17-inch MacBook Pro scheduled for release in 2022, but have not made a final decision, the sources noted.

Apple marked its transition to OLED displays with the Apple Watch and soon extended the same for iPhones. The iPhone X was the first device to feature an OLED display, and currently, the premium models like iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro continue offering OLED display. The previous report hinted that Apple would launch a new iPad and MacBooks with Mini-OLED displays in 2021. In other words, the Digitimes report seems to be referring to the “Mini-OLED” display and not the “OLED.”

In 2020 Digitimes report claimed that iPad Pro and MacBook would arrive with a Mini-LED display by the end of 2020. However, the latest report mentions 2022 as the timeframe. We are not sure whether the first report was inaccurate or Apple’s plan to introduce MacBook and iPad Pro with Mini-LED was pushed further.

Our Take

Mini-LED offers a series of advantages as opposed to OLED. It uses smaller backlighting spread across a thousand array of local dimming zones. Thus Mini-OLED provides a higher contrast ratio, higher brightness, and is less prone to burn-in.