iPad Air 2026 will use OLED panel manufactured by Samsung?

Samsung Display's A3 line, which mass produces OLED panels for the iPhone and ‌iPad Pro‌, has a production capacity of 135,000 units per month. Meanwhile, LG Display's E6-1~3 line, which produces OLEDs for the ‌iPhone‌, has a capacity of only 45,000 units per month, and its E6-4 line, which produces OLEDs for the iPad, has a capacity of only 15,000 units per month.

iPad Air 2026 will use OLED panels manufactured by Samsung?. Photo Macrumors

Over the past time, we have seen many reports about Apple's plans to integrate OLED panels for the iPad Air and iPad mini lines.

According to research firm Omdia, the ‌iPad Air‌‌ line is expected to adopt OLED displays in 2026, with the ‌iPad mini‌‌ models following in 2027. However, Korea's ET News and ZDNET Korea both claim that both iPad lines will get OLED updates at the same time in 2026, although it's possible that Apple could delay the OLED upgrade of the 13-inch ‌‌‌iPad Air‌‌ until 2027. While the OLED ‌‌‌iPad Air‌‌‌ is expected to retain its 11-inch display, the ‌‌‌iPad mini‌‌‌'s display could increase in size from 8.3 inches to 8.7 inches.

Unlike the latest ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌ models, which use dual-layer LTPO (Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) OLED panels, the ‌‌iPad mini‌‌ and ‌‌iPad Air‌‌ are expected to feature single-layer LTPS (Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Silicon) panels. As a result, these displays may be dimmer and lack ProMotion technology, which should make them cheaper to produce.

LG Display has an advantage in mass producing tandem OLED displays, but that's unlikely to translate to the ‌iPad Air‌.

The Korean report cites an industry source speculating that, since Apple needs to boost sales of the OLED ‌iPad Air‌, it is likely to prioritize working with Samsung Display, which can reliably produce large quantities of stacked OLED panels.

The South Korean company reportedly began developing an 8-inch OLED panel for a future ‌iPad mini‌ last month, with plans to begin mass production at its facility in Cheonan in the second half of 2025.

Apple has high hopes for the new panel because it makes the iPad "incredibly thin" and has beautiful display quality, according to Gsmarena. The company's most advanced tablet will use new technology with a parallel OLED structure, which means stacking two OLED light-emitting layers. This method helps the device excel in brightness and screen life compared to a single-layer structure like on the iPhone.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/ipad-air-2026-se-su-dung-tam-nen-oled-do-samsung-san-xuat-post244127.html