Apple Plans OLED Upgrades For iPad Mini, iPad Air, And MacBook Air

Apple is reportedly looking to upgrade the display experience on various products in the coming years, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reporting that Apple is already testing OLED panels for the iPad mini, iPad Air, and MacBook Air. Apple is supposedly interested in offering buyers more reasons to upgrade to a new device. 

Gurman says the iPad mini 8 (codename J510) might be the first of the three devices to feature an OLED panel. Expected next year, the iPad mini 8 will reportedly feature a redesigned case that's water-resistant, similar to recent iPhones. The smaller tablet might feature a new speaker system that uses vibration technology, allowing Apple to remove the speaker holes. That would be a different design from the water-resistant iPhone, which features speaker grilles.

Unlike LCD screens, OLED displays offer better colors, darker blacks, and improved contrast. Apple already uses OLED panels in the Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad Pro. The iPhone has been Apple's main focus for OLED screen technology. With the release of the iPhone 16e earlier this year, Apple discontinued its last LCD iPhone (the iPhone SE 3). Also, OLED panels might lead to price hikes for those products receiving the screen upgrade, as they're more expensive than LCDs. The upcoming iPad mini might cost $100 more than the current model due to the OLED panel.

It's unclear when the iPad mini 8 will launch, but Gurman notes Apple may release the next-generation iPad Air and the M5 MacBook Air next spring. It's likely these products will debut around the same time. However, the next iPad Air and MacBook Air models will not feature OLED panels. The 2026 iPad Air versions will feature LCD screens like their predecessors. The report says a future version will feature OLED panels. Apple supposedly doesn't plan to give the entry-level iPad an OLED panel anytime soon.

Laptops with OLED screens might be even more exciting than tablets featuring the same technology. The MacBook Pro might get an OLED panel in its next redesign, according to Gurman. It's unclear if that could happen next year. Apple released the entry-level M5 MacBook Pro a few weeks ago, without changing the laptop's design. The M5 Pro and M5 Max chip versions that will equip the more expensive 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will launch next year. The rumored MacBook Pro design refresh, including the switch to OLED screens, is unlikely for next year.

The MacBook Air is next in line to receive OLED panels. Gurman says work has begun on Apple's most popular laptop, but the upgrade isn't expected until 2028. The M5 MacBook Air models launching in the spring will still feature LCD screens. It's unclear whether the MacBook Air will get a redesign in the coming years, once the move to OLED is ready. That said, the OLED upgrade roadmap isn't set in stone, with the Bloomberg reporter noting that Apple's plans can change. For example, the 18-inch foldable iPad, which should feature an OLED panel, was recently pushed back to 2029.