Kuo: iPad Air to Adopt OLED in 2022, Mini-LED to Remain Exclusive to iPad Pro Models

[aenews]

LOL. Mini-LED is just marketing for FALD with more zones, but it is still an LCD display. I would generally take an OLED over any LCD technology, but now I wonder. Will the iPad Air use LG's RGB OLED technology, which is essentially red, blue and green filters (like in an LCD) back-lit by red, blue and green OLEDs (which, combined, produce white backlighting), or is it going to be using Samsung's Super-AMOLED tech, which we have in iPhones and which relies on a less sharp pentile arrangement? I can see how mini-LED could be marginally better on a larger (and lower PPI, vs iPhone) screen than pentile.

Samsung essentially doesn't even make AMOLED displays larger than ~9" with PenTile. The Galaxy Tab S-series has always used Full RGB OLED on the highest model, including the original Galaxy Tab S 10.5" from 2014 all the way to the Galaxy Tab S7+ 12.4" (120Hz) in 2020.

I've owned the Tab S4, S6, and S7+. I've also been using 15.6" 4K AMOLED laptops since 2019 (e.g. Gigabyte Aero 15, Dell XPS 15, Razer Blade 15). Samsung's new 2021 SKU's like the 14" 1800P 90Hz are also not PenTile. None of these displays are PenTile. I am happy to report that if the iPad switched to OLED, there is essentially zero chance it will be PenTile.

LG's smartphone OLED displays are the same technology as Samsung's and are RG-BG PenTile. Their 4K OLED TV's are Full WRGB (each pixel actually has 4 sub-pixels and technically this is using color filters). Totally different technology.

 

[aenews]

1. OLED is not pixel perfect, not in its current implementation, whether that is AMOLED or WOLED. Search Diamond, Pentile Pattern. It is one of the reason why you have much higher Pixel Density on OLED screen to migrate that effect.

2. MiniLED is not cheap. Well depends on type of MiniLED. Having a 500 zones on a 80" TV is going to be cheap, having 500 zones on a Laptop or Tablet is going to be expensive. Much more so than OLED. ( OLED is getting cheaper at a much faster rate )

And to other replies

Who ever said "Apple's OLED" ( What does that even mean ) doesn't have burn-in, have no idea how OLED works. And how burn in works. The issue may be migrated somewhat on a phone ( when was the last time you have the same screen on a phone for more than a minute ), or on a tablet? It doesn't mean there is no Burn-In.

iPad Air with OLED provides benefits that Apple could test other OLED panel quality without them reaching iPhone in the first place. ( LG and BOE has been pushing for those orders ). It will also be thinner, are we going to see a iPad Air that is thinner than current iPad Pro? Sub 5mm thickness? And it also has a roadmap these OLED will someday be cheaper than LCD. Although I have no idea how they will play with Pixel Density given you need higher PPI for OLED, where iPad Air would have more pixels than iPad Pro?

Samsung doesn't use PenTile in their >9-Inch displays. If the iPad gets OLED, it will be Full RGB AMOLED rather than RG-BG PenTile. I don't particularly expect them to source from LG or BOE, but it's possible.

Indeed, I cringed a bit with "Apple OLED". But I mean, there are misconceptions across the board and no one is aware of everything. And burn-in is a macroscopic result of uneven pixel wear. Every pixel (or rather sub-pixel) in OLED produces its own light (imagine each is an independent bulb). If wear is uneven, some sub-pixels will have higher voltage drops and thus lower brightness than surrounding pixels, resulting in "burn-in".

 

[ksec]

Samsung doesn't use PenTile in their >9-Inch displays. If the iPad gets OLED, it will be Full RGB AMOLED rather than RG-BG PenTile. I don't particularly expect them to source from LG or BOE, but it's possible.

The ( original or previously said ) idea, rumours or rational of why going LG and BOE for OLED on iPad Air are

1. Samsung Full RGB AMOLED is expensive. And doesn't fit the budget iPad Air is intended.
2. It provide LG and BOE with a product to enter Apple's OLED supply chain without disrupting the current OLED supply on iPhone with potential yield and quality issues.
3. LG and BOE are also cheaper that fits the iPad Air price category and BOM.

Having said all that, I dont like OLED on iPad, nor do I want / like LG and BOE to enter Apple's OLED production. Although Apple has been trying to court them over the years, credit where credit's due Samsung Display is just so ridiculous competitive from quality and technical innovation stand point leaves little room on the premium segment.

I hope iPad stays with LCD.

 

[aenews]

The ( original or previously said ) idea, rumours or rational of why going LG and BOE for OLED on iPad Air are

1. Samsung Full RGB AMOLED is expensive. And doesn't fit the budget iPad Air is intended.
2. It provide LG and BOE with a product to enter Apple's OLED supply chain without disrupting the current OLED supply on iPhone with potential yield and quality issues.
3. LG and BOE are also cheaper that fits the iPad Air price category and BOM.

Having said all that, I dont like OLED on iPad, nor do I want / like LG and BOE to enter Apple's OLED production. Although Apple has been trying to court them over the years, credit where credit's due Samsung Display is just so ridiculous competitive from quality and technical innovation stand point leaves little room on the premium segment.

I hope iPad stays with LCD.

1. It isn't necessarily that expensive. Samsung sells plenty of their tablets for much cheaper than the iPad Air. That isn't considering the actual cost of the display, of course, but the point is that the one part will not break the bank. Considering Samsung essentially doesn't use PenTile for larger display sizes (lower PPI), it might actually be harder to acquire PenTile. Samsung is also the biggest player, and economy of scale may mean they are still the most price efficient or not too far off regardless of sub-pixel arrangement.
2/3. Maybe. I'm dubious at the screen size of the iPad Air. Even if they use BOE or LG, PenTile isn't a surety. I'd be very surprised, considering Apple has always held steadfast to their "Retina" concept.

We don't even know in the first place if Apple will really opt for the Air and/or lower models to use OLED panels. If they opt for the iPad Mini to also have an OLED display, that model would be more likely to be PenTile.