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Apple has reportedly lowered its monthly order quantities for iPad Pro OLED displays. This is due to demand falling significantly short of expectations – and the display's design itself is a contributing factor.
Since 2024, the iPad Pro has been the only Apple tablet to use OLED, and the switch is considered the most complex display change Apple has ever undertaken. An analysis by Omdia's chief display analyst, presented at the China Display Conference, now quantifies the impact on sales. Around seven million panels were planned for this year, roughly the same number as last year. According to the analysis, this figure will not be reached.
Key Facts at a Glance
- According to Omdia, demand for the iPad Pro with OLED is around 37 percent below their own expectations.
- Apple reportedly subsequently reduced its monthly purchase quantities from panel manufacturers.
- The external reason given is a war-related reduction in demand.
- The structural reason lies in the design: The two-layer tandem OLED on a glass substrate is particularly expensive to manufacture.
- A simpler and cheaper OLED design is planned for the iPad Air in 2027.
What the order quantities show
Panel orders are a more reliable indicator than sales forecasts because they are backed by real capital and are fixed months in advance. If a manufacturer reduces its monthly order volume, it is correcting an expectation for which it has already reserved production lines.
This is precisely what is said to have happened with the OLED panels of the iPad Pro. The initial annual plan, at around seven million units, was roughly on par with the previous year, but according to the cited analysis, actual demand fell short by about a third. The panels continue to be supplied by Samsung Display and LG Display, both of which produce them on sixth-generation production lines.
Why this display is so expensive
The main cost driver lies in the construction. The iPad Pro uses a tandem OLED display, in which two light-emitting layers are stacked on top of each other – this increases brightness and lifespan, but doubles the most complex part of the manufacturing process. Added to this is the hybrid construction of a glass substrate and thin-film encapsulation.
Both of these factors combined make the panel significantly more expensive than a conventional OLED, and these costs are passed on to the final price. The analysis explicitly attributes the low sales volumes to this as well: A tablet whose display alone accounts for a substantial portion of the material costs cannot be offered at an arbitrarily low price.
The technology will still be further developed for the Pro series. Future models will eliminate the polarizer, allowing for brighter and thinner devices, and aim for a color gamut of 95 percent according to BT.2020.
Apple is taking the cheaper route with the iPad Air
More revealing than the number itself is what's written alongside it in the planning documents. The iPad Air is also slated to use OLED in 2027, in 11- and 13-inch versions – but not as a tandem display; instead, it will feature a single light-emitting layer. This design is thinner and significantly cheaper to manufacture.
| Model | Display structure | Supplier | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPad Pro | Tandem OLED, two layers, hybrid structure | Samsung Display, LG Display | since 2024 |
| iPad mini | Hybrid OLED, 8.4 inches, single layer | Samsung Display | second half of 2026 |
| iPad Air | Hybrid OLED, single-layer, 11 and 13 inches | Samsung Display, BOE | 2027 |
This aligns with the planned supplier change. The Chinese manufacturer BOE, which currently doesn't supply a single OLED panel for Apple's tablets or notebooks, is slated to begin supplying panels for the iPad Air in 2027 and the MacBook Pro in 2028. BOE is already the largest supplier of LCD panels for the iPad and Mac – this would be their first OLED order.
What the number says about Apple's tablet strategy
The interpretation that the iPad Pro is a flop is too simplistic. What's being corrected here is a plan, not a product – and that plan dates back to a time when Apple anticipated a broader audience for its most expensive tablet.
More remarkable is the consequence: instead of making the Pro display cheaper, the mid-range model gets its own, simpler OLED display. This is the same trend seen with the Mac, where the sophisticated display technology remains exclusive to the top-of-the-line models, while the lower-end models are supplied separately. We therefore expect the price gap between the iPad Air and iPad Pro to widen rather than narrow – the expensive panel remains exclusive, and the more affordable alternative gets its own dedicated technology instead of a scaled-down version.
For the purchasing decision, this means: Anyone who does not specifically need the tandem OLED for brightness or HDR processing will find a significantly cheaper OLED option in the Air series from 2027 onwards.
The next steps in the tablet series
Next up is the iPad mini with an OLED display, for which panel production is already underway and around 1.1 million units are planned for this year. The Air series will follow in 2027. Whether Apple will stick with the tandem panel design for the iPad Pro will be decided with the next generation – current panel planning doesn't foresee any departure from this design.
Would the brighter tandem display on an iPad be worth the extra cost to you – or would you wait for the cheaper OLED version in the Air series? Tell us in the comments where you draw the line.
