It has long been rumored that Apple will use Samsung Display's OLED panels in its next-generation iPad Pro lineup. Those iPads were expected to be launched this month, but that didn't happen, and it was understood that the launch of those iPad Pros has been delayed. It is rumored that Samsung could be the reason behind the delayed launch.
Samsung Display reportedly faced yield issues for OLED panels for upcoming iPad Pros
According to a new report from Hankooki, Samsung Display recently faced poor yields (usable panels from all the manufactured ones) for its new 11-inch OLED panels, and it has been unable to meet Apple's order quantity. This forced Apple to transfer orders for some OLED panels from Samsung Display to LG Display. LG Display is expected to increase its production capacity by hundreds of thousands next month.
Due to this reallocation, LG Display is expected to make 60% of all OLED orders for the next-generation iPad Pro lineup. Earlier, Apple had divided OLED orders between LG Display and Samsung Display. LG was meant to make 13-inch panels, while Samsung was tasked with making 11-inch OLED panels. These are newer OLED panels with two light-emitting layers, offering much longer life and higher brightness.
Recently, LG invested millions of dollars to set up a sixth-generation OLED panel manufacturing line and received quality control certification from Apple. It can now pick up some slack from Samsung Display. Apple has reportedly placed orders for 8.5 million OLED panels for its upcoming iPad Pro models. This is a decrease from the previously reported 10 million figure.
What to expect from OLED iPad Pros?
The upcoming iPad Pros are expected to be costlier than the current-generation ones. They could feature Apple's M3 chips, bringing a huge performance increase compared to the current-generation iPad Pros. The upcoming iPad Pros are now expected to launch sometime in May 2024.
