Apple is reportedly planning an aggressive expansion of OLED display technology across nine additional devices by 2027.
OLED provides benefits like higher contrast, increased brightness, and improved energy efficiency compared to traditional LCD screens.
According to reports, Apple will first bring OLED screens to its high-end iPad Pro models in 2024. This will provide the iPad Pro with enhanced picture quality thanks to OLED’s deeper blacks and vivid colors.
The larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro is expected to use a more advanced OLED panel with smooth 120Hz ProMotion refresh rates. The smaller 11-inch model will also transition to OLED, but with a lower refresh rate.
In 2026, Apple reportedly aims to upgrade the displays of the mid-range iPad Air and compact iPad Mini to OLED as well.
The iPad Air will retain its current 10.9-inch screen size, while the iPad Mini will grow slightly from 8.3 to 8.7 inches when it adopts OLED. The improved displays will bring better contrast and brightness to these lower-cost iPads.
Looking even further ahead, Apple is said to be planning a new generation of advanced OLED displays for the iPad Pro models in 2027.
These new OLED panels will leverage Color Filter on Encapsulation (CoE) technology to boost light efficiency and reduce power consumption by around 20%. This additional battery life savings will appeal to Pro users.
Beyond the iPad, Apple reportedly aims to bring OLED to its MacBook lineup as well between 2025 and 2026.
The expansive adoption will start with the largest 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2025. The 14-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch MacBook Air are expected to follow in 2026.
Upgrading to OLED could allow for a thinner, lighter MacBook design. The technology can also provide MacBooks with more vivid colors and inky blacks for immersive image viewing.
As with the iPad, increased power efficiency should also improve battery life for portable use. The eye-catching displays will help MacBooks stay competitive with Windows laptops increasingly adopting OLED.
Adopting OLED across the iPad and MacBook lineups will clearly be a multi-year endeavor for Apple. But the company sees superior displays as one way to attract users into its ecosystem.
By 2027, Apple’s perseverance will make stunning OLED viewing a standard feature across most of its mobile and laptop devices. Users can look forward to richer visual experiences as OLED keeps proliferating.
