Rumor: future iPads will have an OLED screen

Apple would like to equip its iPads with OLED screens from 2017. That is what the South Korean ETNews claims based on anonymous sources. Until now, Apple only uses LCDs from various manufacturers for its iPads.

The Japanese Joled would produce the OLED screens for Apple, ETNews reports. Joled is a partnership of Sony and Panasonic, among others, and would start mass production of the screens at the end of 2016. That means that the first iPads with OLED screens could appear in 2017.

Until now, Apple only uses LCDs for its iPads, but the displays of the Apple Watch are OLED screens, according to persistent rumors. As a result, the manufacturer would gain experience for the first time with the use of OLED screens in a product. The OLED screens in the Apple Watch are said to be from LG.

It is unknown whether the Cupertino company will eventually also equip its iPhones with OLED screens. Although tablets with OLED screens are still a rarity, this has been happening on smartphones for years. Samsung, in particular, is investing in the use of OLED in its own smartphones. The recent Galaxy Tab S series of tablets also features OLED panels.

Because OLEDs are their own light source, the screen can turn off pixels that are supposed to display black. This is not possible with an LCD that works with a backlight. As a result, black is deeper and the contrast higher on OLED screens.