This is the second time Young has made these claims, signaling that his sources continue to indicate that Apple’s plans are moving ahead on schedule. Apple’s plans to transition the iPad lineup to OLED have also been reported several times in the past from other sources.
As we’ve explained in the past, the current mini-LED tech used by Apple is an alternative to OLED. It is better in some ways and worse in others. Mini-LED screens are made up of thousands of small LEDs arranged in multiple dimming zones. Mini-LED displays can reach higher brightness than OLED displays, but local dimming is still not as accurate as on OLED. OLED displays also suffer from burn-in.
While he doesn’t mention it this time, Young has previously reported that the iPad Pro and MacBook Air will use OLED display technology referred to as “tandem stack.” This technology can increase brightness, improve the longevity of the display, and reduce power consumption by around 30% compared to traditional OLED panels. These devices are also rumored to feature variable refresh rate displays to further improve efficiency.