Samsung currently holds the top spot in the global smartphone display market. Apple buys a sizable quantity of these displays for its devices, including iPhone and iPad. However, Apple is now on the lookout for an entirely different type of OLED panels for its future iPads, and Samsung once again could bag the deal.
According to a report published by The Elec, Samsung is currently working on a new type of OLED display based on what the sources claim to be a "two-tandem structure." A two-tandem OLED panel would mean twice the brightness and four times the life expectancy compared to displays based on a single tandem structure. Samsung is internally calling it T1, with "T" stands for tandem.
iPads featuring displays based on two-tandem structure are unlikely to debut anytime soon. If the report is to be believed, these iPads featuring the new display technology will debut sometime in 2024. The report also claims that the new two-tandem structure OLED displays will also be introduced to MacBook and iMac devices at a later date.
The mass production of T1 displays is expected to begin in 2023 and may first be used by the company itself in its smartphones and tablets. Meanwhile, the iPad and Mac devices will use the T2 displays, which will be the successor of T1. Commercial production of T2 displays is set to begin in 2024.
Apple is currently transitioning to mini-LED display technology for its iPad and Mac devices. Although not confirmed, one of the reasons why Apple is switching to mini-LED technology could be the price factor—they are significantly cheaper than OLED and micro-LED panels.
The report doesn"t detail why the company wants to adopt a two-stack structure OLED panel instead of sticking to mini-LED. While the manufacturing cost of an OLED panel is higher than that of a mini-LED display panel, for Apple and Samsung, the two-tandem OLED may have a more favorable cost-benefit ratio.
Source: The Elec, The Korea Herald; via SamMobile