Apple Likely to Use Samsung's Tandem OLED Displays for Future iPads and Macs

[MacRumors]

Samsung has begun developing more advanced OLED panels that should meet Apple's requirements for use in future iPads and Macs, according to a new report from The Elec.

Previous reports have suggested Apple intends to release an iPad with an OLED display provided by Samsung in 2024, but Apple is seeking OLED panels for larger displays that have a "two-stack tandem structure," which have two emission layers, thus doubling brightness and quadrupling OLED display lifespan.

All Apple's iPhones use a single-stack structure, and Apple's rationale for requiring two-stack panels is that iPads tend to be used for longer. The expectation is that these more advanced panels will also eventually make their way into MacBooks and iMacs. Apple currently only uses OLED displays for the iPhone and the Apple Watch, but Macs and iPads are limited to LCD and mini-LED.

Apple and Samsung were reportedly working together to create a 10.86-inch OLED panel in 2021, but work on the display was halted in the third quarter because the project was said to be too expensive for Samsung, and Samsung was not able to manufacture enough of the panels at the right price.

With Samsung now actively developing the two-stack panels, which Samsung is calling the T Series (T for tandem), the Korean company's display arm is aiming to develop the T1 material set to get customer evaluation, and is aiming to apply the material for commercial production in 2023.

With the necessary manufacturing equipment in place, Samsung will then move on to developing the set's successor, T2, for which it aims to start commercial production in 2024. Given this timeline, it's the T2 material set that will likely be the first panels used by Apple for its iPads, according to today's report.

In the meantime, Samsung is expected to first use the more advanced OLED panels in its Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Books series, allowing it to maintain hardware leadership over Apple in the display hardware space.

Recent rumors have suggested that Apple is also working with BOE on larger-sized OLED panels destined for Macs and iPads, with BOE's recently converted factory able to manufacture OLED displays that are up to 15 inches in size.

Article Link: Apple Likely to Use Samsung's Tandem OLED Displays for Future iPads and Macs

 

[MrTangent]

We can only hope! I have yet to buy an iPad for a multitude of reasons; one of which is wanting OLED. Getting excited!

(I was excited for Mini-LED, too, until I saw the reports of some blooming issues; OLED just seems like a much better solution)

 

[breather]

I wonder when Apple will start designing and building their own displays.

 

[MrTangent]

I wonder when Apple will start designing and building their own displays.

I would love it if they designed and built the “whole widget”. Literally, not just as a sales slogan of old.

 

[JosephAW]

Can’t wait for the day Apple stops using OLED any uses anything else that doesn’t suffer from burn in.

 

[Pezimak]

Can’t wait for the day Apple stops using OLED any uses anything else that doesn’t suffer from burn in.

What have the reports on OLED iPhones been on burn in issues? I don’t recall hearing about any big problems with it but was curious to know.
All screen technologies have pluses and minuses though.

 

[Mr. Dee]

I would love it if they designed and built the “whole widget”. Literally, not just as a sales slogan of old.

Because it’s a very complex science that you need to have an expert team for on top of sourcing the raw material. Just like how they are not in web search business but still use Google, doesn’t have to be the same here. Sure, they could purchase some of the players. But that might be taking on too much liability. Apple like pitting players among each other at the price.

 

[troublador]

Can’t wait for the day Apple stops using OLED any uses anything else that doesn’t suffer from burn in.

Have you not read the article? You're in for a long wait. Why not just get over your burninphobia?

 

[wood1208]

How far is microLED to get into iPhone,iPad,MAC.

 

[bobtem]

“Quadrupling the lifespan.” What is the ”lifespan” of a screen?

I have a Mac Classic that still works. Pretty sure it doesn’t have an OLED screen…

 

[orderoftheditch]

Because it’s a very complex science that you need to have an expert team for on top of sourcing the raw material. Just like how they are not in web search business but still use Google, doesn’t have to be the same here. Sure, they could purchase some of the players. But that might be taking on too much liability. Apple like pitting players among each other at the price.

Google pays Apple billions of dollars each year. Microsoft spent billions developing Bing, why would Apple spend billions to likely fail and lose billions in income from Google in the process?

 

[LilNasX]

How far is microLED to get into iPhone,iPad,MAC.

7 years? it's gonna be a long wait. nobody is mass producing them yet so it doesn't sound like the tech is there just yet.

we've had oled in an iphone for almost 5 years and no other device except the watch has oled yet. apple is slow on the screen tech.

 

[Fraserh02]

“Quadrupling the lifespan.” What is the ”lifespan” of a screen?

I have a Mac Classic that still works. Pretty sure it doesn’t have an OLED screen…

Even LCD’s suffer from long term brightness degradation. My iMac G4 has noticeably reduced brightness than when it was new. Displays have half lives.

 

[pdoherty]

Have you not read the article? You're in for a long wait. Why not just get over your burninphobia?

How about displaygetsdimmerovertime-aphobia?

 

[now i see it]

I’ve never met a computing OLED display that hasn’t given me eyestrain and a headache from its PWM flickering.

 

[Icewarm]

What have the reports on OLED iPhones been on burn in issues? I don’t recall hearing about any big problems with it but was curious to know.
All screen technologies have pluses and minuses though.

iPhones don't tend to have static images. The Mac does in the menu bar. Static images are the ones that tend to develop burn in.

 

[briko]

If T2 makes its way to the Mac, it’ll be Judgment Day for my old MacBook Pro.

 

[ksec]

What have the reports on OLED iPhones been on burn in issues? I don’t recall hearing about any big problems with it but was curious to know.
All screen technologies have pluses and minuses though.

Burn in is only an issue when you have the Display putting on the same images for long period of time. Which is not an issue on Smartphone because you will be clicking around using it where the whole screen changes. Compared to desktop, you have dock or start menu bar on windows all the time. Imagine you are gaming, and your heath bar stays at the same section of the screen for hours, after some months this will cause burn-in on OLED screens.

 

[ksec]

Given they specifically mentioned

two-stack tandem structure," which have two emission layers, thus doubling brightness and quadrupling OLED display lifespan.

It could be a QD-OLED screen. The problem is I dont see how the pricing could fit even in 2024.

 

[1369281]

Stop using PWM in display technology.

 

[Pezimak]

iPhones don't tend to have static images. The Mac does in the menu bar. Static images are the ones that tend to develop burn in.

Burn in is only an issue when you have the Display putting on the same images for long period of time. Which is not an issue on Smartphone because you will be clicking around using it where the whole screen changes. Compared to desktop, you have dock or start menu bar on windows all the time. Imagine you are gaming, and your heath bar stays at the same section of the screen for hours, after some months this will cause burn-in on OLED screens.

I appreciate that, but I do believe that their have been several Android OLED phones that have suffered with burn in on their screens. So I'm not so sure that's the case, either way I am not familiar with the stats on how it affects the iPhone.

 

[CWallace]

I wonder when Apple will start designing and building their own displays.

They design them now and have been for years.

Building them? Never. It's not a core-competency for Apple and never will be with their current functional organization structure. So even if they emptied their bank account to build out the infrastructure, the results would likely be inferior to what they are getting now from their suppliers (where building displays is their core competency).

How far is microLED to get into iPhone,iPad,MAC.

Likely a decade or more away. The size of the sub-panels that make up such displays is falling, but it still is designed around massive wall-sized displays.

It could be a QD-OLED screen.

QD-OLED is intended for monitors and televisions and is a different technology than the RGB PenTile matrix that the iPhone OLED displays use (and what an iPad OLED display would use).

QD-OLED would be suitable for something like an iMac display, but even there, if Apple ever goes OLED for Mac displays I would not be surprised if they went with the JOLED RGB process developed by Japan OLED rather than QD-OLED.

 

[Mr. Dee]

Google pays Apple billions of dollars each year. Microsoft spent billions developing Bing, why would Apple spend billions to likely fail and lose billions in income from Google in the process?

Same goes for making displays, it might be too costly to take on. What they have developed so far in house such as Apple Silicon are strategic moves. Intel was holding the business back not giving Apple the chance to create the types devices they wanted. A modem from Qualcomm or Display from Pegatron is not doing that. At least for right now.

 

[_Spinn_]

Longer life for an OLED is good. I still want to see microLED screens and if they live up to the hype.

 

[AirunJae]

We can only hope! I have yet to buy an iPad for a multitude of reasons; one of which is wanting OLED. Getting excited!

(I was excited for Mini-LED, too, until I saw the reports of some blooming issues; OLED just seems like a much better solution)

The reports of blooming on the Mini-LED seemed a little overblown (snort) to my eyes as the screen on the iPad Pro 12.9" looks fantastic to me, but your tastes may vary. That said, I'd love to see the iPad Mini get the screen tech upgrade treatment (Mini or OLED) as it has quickly become my favorite iPad for everyday use.