Samsung is reportedly preparing to build a production line for larger OLED panels that could be destined for an iPad in 2024, though a report on Friday claims that an OLED iPad could arrive sooner than that.
According to The Elec, Samsung is set to build its first Gen 8.5 OLED production line, which could start producing panels in 2024. The report claims that the panels are destined for products made by Apple, which it say is planning on adopting OLED panels in its tablet and PC lineups.
There have been a plethora of supply chain reports and analyst forecasts suggesting that Apple will move its iPad lineup to OLED displays sometime in the near future.
Some of those reports have suggested that Apple planned on releasing an OLED iPad in 2022, while others indicate that a shift to the newer display technology could occur in 2024.
The Elec's report, however, appears to hedge its bets. While it says that Samsung's new Gen 8.5 production line wouldn't be ready to produce OLED panels until 2024, it claims that Apple's first OLED tablets will use existing production lines from both Samsung and LG's display unit.
Plans to release an OLED-based iPad Air in 2022 were reportedly cancelled because of issues with cost, brightness, and durability. However, conflicting reports suggested that an OLED display on an Apple tablet could arrive sooner than that.
If The Elec report is based on solid ground, it suggests that the 2024 iPads with OLED panels would use a more advanced version of the display technology than a prior variant with panels built on current production lines.
The latest information suggests that Apple could update both its 11-inch iPad Pro and its iPad Pro simultaneously with OLED panels.
The Elec is a good source for raw data from within Apple's supply chain. It has a notably poorer track record extrapolating Apple's plans from that data. Friday's report is more the latter than the former.