OLED 12.9-Inch iPad Pro Rumored to Feature Brighter, More Durable Display

LG Display has begun developing an OLED panel for a 12.9-inch iPad model that features improved brightness, longevity, and durability, according to The Elec.

OLED iPad Pro Feature
The Elec recently reported that Apple is preparing to release two new iPad Pro models with low-power LTPO OLED displays in 2023 or 2024. The new models could feature improved ProMotion with a wider range of refresh rates.

Further to that report, The Elec is now claiming that LG Display is planning to begin production of a 12.9-inch OLED display for an ‌iPad‌ between the end of 2023 and 2024. Samsung Display is also expected to be preparing to supply panels for the OLED ‌iPad Pro‌ models alongside LG Display, now that the OLED iPad Air that Samsung was working on for 2022 has reportedly been canceled.

LG Display is reportedly planning to use LTPO TFT technology to make the OLED panel up to two times brighter and prolong its working life by up to four times. Since consumers keep iPads for longer than iPhones, longevity and durability are said to be important goals for the display.

The panels are expected to use the same Gen 6 substrates used in the iPhone 13 Pro models, which already support LTPO TFT technology for refresh rates up to 120Hz. This could allow for a much wider range of refresh rates between 10Hz and 120Hz.

In a recent investor note from TF International Securities, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple has abandoned its plans to release an iPad Air with an OLED display in 2022, with multiple sources now agreeing on a 2023 or later launch timeframe.

As per the previous report, Apple is currently planning to launch 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPads that use OLED panels in 2023 or 2024. The ‌iPad Pro‌ now appears to be Apple's focus for its first tablets with OLED displays, rather than the ‌iPad Air‌. That being said, the report notes that Apple could still choose to use OLED technology on the ‌iPad Air‌ first due to pricing and supply volume.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says These 7 U.S. States Plan to Offer iPhone Driver's Licenses

Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New MacBook Pros Could Now Arrive in March

Sunday February 8, 2026 6:02 am PST by
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...

Top Rated Comments

cmaier Avatar
57 months ago
Still makes no sense to me. If Apple thinks OLED is the better display, it could have switched to OLED this year instead of miniLED, which was a huge investment for them.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacLawyer Avatar
57 months ago
Nothing against iPads.... they are freaking amazing and if you use one for productive purposes or content viewing, good on you.

As for me, they just don't light my fire. I have the base iPad and I occasionally use it but I'll aways be a Mac guy. (IE old). ?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
julesme Avatar
57 months ago

Nothing against iPads.... they are freaking amazing and if you use one for productive purposes or content viewing, good on you.

As for me, they just don't light my fire. I have the base iPad and I occasionally use it but I'll aways be a Mac guy. (IE old). ?
I think for the majority of iPad users, the device is a companion, not a replacement, for their Mac.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
57 months ago
Rumors about 2024 really? Can we all survive 2021 first please. Who knows how many of us will be dead by then
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Force332 Avatar
57 months ago

Still makes no sense to me. If Apple thinks OLED is the better display, it could have switched to OLED this year instead of miniLED, which was a huge investment for them.
As Apple has historically been both slow to adapt new display technologies and then doesn't move on from them very quickly when they do, I understand that this seems odd. But I think what it comes down to is keeping ProMotion going in the Pro lineup. Similar to how they waited to adopt adaptive refresh on the iPhone until they could source enough of the LTPO OLED displays for their need. Since the iPad Pros have had ProMotion (using LED backlighting) going back to 2017, they don't want to go backwards and throw in an OLED display just because it's OLED if they can't source enough of them to be adaptive. This sounds like they are aiming to be able to do so in 2 or 3 years. In the meantime, I think they implemented mini-LED as a step up to improve brightness and dynamic range while retaining ProMotion until they can produce OLED displays of this size with the adaptive ability.

My gut feeling at least.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shanghaichica Avatar
57 months ago
That will be me next iPad update.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)