Apple and Samsung Display no longer working together on 2022 10.9-inch OLED iPad

Rumors about an OLED iPad due for release next year have been floating around for months. But before the device reached the production stage, Apple has decided to cancel it completely.

Don't expect an OLED iPad until 2023 at the earliest

The Elec has learned that Apple and Samsung Display have ended their relationship to create a 10.86-inch iPad for release in 2022. While a marketing name was never attached to the device, it likely would have hit shelves as the fifth-gen iPad Air.

What would have been the company’s first OLED tablet has reportedly been shelved due to the structure of the OLED screen. Current panels widely use a single stack structure, meaning one layer of red, green, and blue.

But Apple is understood to have requested a two-stack structure with an extra layer, which The Elec reports would have doubled the brightness and extended the display’s life by up to four times.

Despite that, Samsung Display proposed a single stack display and the two companies were unable to reach an agreement, hence the decision to cancel the first OLED iPad model.

Profitability for Samsung Display may have played a role in the decision to not propose a two-stack OLED panel. Unless the company can ensure that Apple’s design will be produced for an extended period of time, the move could prove unprofitable.

As things stand, the only other company capable of producing the two-stack design Apple is looking for is LG Display. However, the company doesn’t have the necessary production capacity.

The first OLED iPad is now not expected to launch until 2023 at the earliest. When it does, it could be in the form on a 12.9-inch iPad Pro model.