It has long been rumored that Apple will use Samsung Display’s OLED panels in its next-generation iPad Pro lineup. Those iPads were expected to be launched this month, but that didn’t happen, and it was understood that the launch of those iPad Pros has been delayed. It is rumored that Samsung could be the reason behind the delayed launch.
Samsung Display reportedly faced yield issues for OLED panels for upcoming iPad Pros
According to a new report from Hankooki, Samsung Display recently faced poor yields (usable panels from all the manufactured ones) for its new 11-inch OLED panels, and it has been unable to meet Apple’s order quantity. This forced Apple to transfer orders for some OLED panels from Samsung Display to LG Display. LG Display is expected to increase its production capacity by hundreds of thousands next month.
Due to this reallocation, LG Display is expected to make 60% of all OLED orders for the next-generation iPad Pro lineup. Earlier, Apple had divided OLED orders between LG Display and Samsung Display. LG was meant to make 13-inch panels, while Samsung was tasked with making 11-inch OLED panels. These are newer OLED panels with two light-emitting layers, offering much longer life and higher brightness.
Recently, LG invested millions of dollars to set up a sixth-generation OLED panel manufacturing line and received quality control certification from Apple. It can now pick up some slack from Samsung Display. Apple has reportedly placed orders for 8.5 million OLED panels for its upcoming iPad Pro models. This is a decrease from the previously reported 10 million figure.
What to expect from OLED iPad Pros?
The upcoming iPad Pros are expected to be costlier than the current-generation ones. They could feature Apple’s M3 chips, bringing a huge performance increase compared to the current-generation iPad Pros. The upcoming iPad Pros are now expected to launch sometime in May 2024.
The Sweet Sixteen officially kicks off today, and if you’re still looking to upgrade your TV to watch the tournament, then you’re in luck. I’m rounding up today’s nine best March Madness TV deals, which include up to $1,000 in savings on best-rated 4K, QLED, and OLED displays.
I’ve searched retailers like Amazon, Samsung, and Best Buy to find the best TV deals with a wide range of prices and features. Today’s March Madness TV deals allow you to score record-low prices on both older displays and discounts on 2024 TVs from brands including Samsung, LG, and TCL.
Apple supplier BOE has taken the lead in becoming the OLED panel supplier for the fourth-generation iPhone SE, IT Home reports.
Samsung Display, BOE, and Tianma have all been in discussions with Apple to supply the OLED panels, but today’s report claims that Samung has withdrawn from negotiations due to pricing problems, despite having an existing iPhone 14 OLED inventory to draw from.
Apple has reportedly been holding out for $25 per panel, but Samsung’s final offer was $30, which is lower than the two Chinese manufacturers. That leaves BOE and Tianma as potential suppliers, however Tianma has not yet met Apple’s stringent quality requirements, leaving BOE in pole position to win the majority of the orders, if not all of them.
The panel prices for the iPhone SE 4 are said to be a lot lower than suppliers charge for the OLED displays used in the iPhone 15, since the panels for the SE will use legacy parts identical to those used in the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14, so the suppliers won’t need to make new investments in R&D. Display manufacturers are believed to have been bidding to supply the panels since at least last August.
The fourth-generation iPhone SE is rumored to feature an iPhone 14-like design with a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID instead of Touch ID, a USB-C port, an Action button, and an all-screen look that does away with the Home Button.
Earlier this month, CAD renders of the device corroborated previous design rumors for the iPhone SE 4, which is expected to launch in 2025. Despite the rumored upgrades, the iPhone SE 4 may face faster depreciation than Apple’s higher-end models, according to one report.
If you happen to have one of our picks for the best OLED TV, then burn-in might be a nagging concern that sits at the back of your TV-appreciating mind; but there could soon be a panacea to this problem.
That’s because the University of Cambridge (via research published in Nature) have designed ultra narrowband blue emitters that avoid the undesirable energy transfer current blue OLEDs output that can lead to burn-in.
In simple terms, blue OLEDs, which are critical components of RGB displays, are problematic for the longevity of OLED TVs due to their construction and being the least stable of subpixels. Energy transfer from a sensitizer component to an emitter module can affect the efficiency and stability of a blue OLED, both of which can lead to the OLED ageing and the panel falling foul to burn-in.
However, by making use of diodes that emit a blue light along the narrowband spectrum, with an emissive core insulated with alkylene straps, blue OLEDs can be produced that can suppress undesirable energy transfer leading to better efficiency and stability. And using this technique the need for a sensitizer component with a high energy gap matrix (used to curtail energy transfer from the sensitizer to the emitter module) can be bypassed.
In short, this could lead to OLED panels that have a longer lifespan, are more resistant to burn-in and require less complex fabrication. And removing unwanted energy transfer could make for OLED displays that consume less energy leading to TV, phones and tablets with screens that are more energy efficient.
Of course, these new blue OLEDs are at the research phase and would need to be incorporated into future OLED panel manufacturing. But there’s a lot of potential here to bring burn-in-resistant OLED TVs with a long lifespan to the market.
For what it’s worth, I use both an LG C1 OLED TV and the Alienware AW3423DWF monitor with a QD-OLED panel, both of which haven’t shown any signs of burn-in. But these have smart features to help with pixel refreshing and burn-in, whereas less advanced displays might not be as robust.
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Continued research into OLED longevity and efficiency is still a welcome thing, even if it takes a long time for breakthroughs to filter down to the consumer TV market. After all, even in the face of mini-LED displays, it doesn’t look like OLED screens are going away anytime soon.
The Panasonic MZ980 is the brand’s mid-range OLED TV offering from 2023. Although it stands out as a great all-rounder, it’s a bit unfortunate – and actually ultimately unfair, as we’ll see – that the most headline-grabbing thing about the MZ980 is stuff it doesn’t have. Namely the brightness-enhancing Micro Lens Array and proprietary heat sink hardware that you get with the brand’s step up MZ1500 and MZ2000 models.
The MZ980 does still get a premium OLED panel, though, as well as the latest version of Panasonic’s Hollywood-influenced HCX Pro AI picture processor. Plus, of course, it’s significantly cheaper than its more highly specified siblings, coming in at just £1,399 for the 55-inch sized model at the time of writing.
Making this price look all the more tempting is the simple fact that the MZ980 is a brilliant performer, holding its own against the best OLED TVs. Its picture quality benefits from all of OLED’s traditional benefits – spectacular local contrast, beautifully inky black colours, rich but subtle colours and wide viewing angles – while the excellent video processor adds a truly cinematic finish to proceedings.
The MZ980 sounds good too, despite lacking the forward-facing speakers carried by Panasonic’s step-up models, and while its smart system might not be the most sophisticated in the world, it’s easy to use and these days carries all of the most important streaming services.
Panasonic’s step up OLED TVs are even better, of course – but unless you have a particularly bright room to cope with, the MZ980’s value proposition is hard to resist.
Panasonic MZ980 Review: Price and release date
(Image credit: Future)
Release date: Late 2023
Price: starting at £1,399 for the 55-inch model
Having launched a few months back at an already then tempting £1,799, the 55MZ980 is now widely available for just £1,399. Panasonic does not currently sell its TVs in the US or Australia.
The MZ980s are, unusually for a mid-range OLED series, only available in relatively small screen sizes. The 55-inch model we’re looking at here is actually the biggest in the range, being joined only by 48- and 42-inch models.
As we’ll see, though, you shouldn’t let this fool you into thinking that the MZ980 is only good enough to be considered as a ‘second TV’. This is still a very serious TV – just one aimed at people who don’t have cavernous living rooms.
Panasonic MZ980 review: Features
(Image credit: Future)
4K OLED TV
HCX Pro AI processor
Supports all four key HDR formats
So we can get it out of the way and put behind us, let’s start with things the MZ980 does not have. Either the combination of a new high-end Micro Lens Array panel with advanced proprietary heat sink hardware that Panasonic’s MZ2000 flagship OLEDs get, or the same heat sink hardware (minus the MLA technology) that the brand’s MZ1500s get.
It does still use a mid-grade OLED panel rather than an ‘entry level’ one, but even before we got our measuring gear out we know it wouldn’t be as bright as those step up models.
Tests confirm that while the MZ2000 hits brightness peaks on a 10% white HDR test window of around 1650 nits in Dynamic mode and 1432 nits in its more stable Cinema mode, and the MZ1500 hits around 950 nits in its Cinema mode, the 55MZ980’s Cinema mode peaks at just over 700 nits. That’s basically a 50% brightness drop versus the MZ2000, and a still significant 250 nits versus the MZ1500. You will certainly feel this with HDR content, especially if your TV is typically used in a bright room.
It’s worth noting, too, that the MZ980 measures slightly less bright than LG’s rival C3 models – though I should stress right away that while brightness certainly matters in the HDR world, it absolutely is not the only thing that makes a great HDR picture. Especially when a TV’s picture processing knows how to get the maximum performance from the hardware available to it – something Panasonic has been a master of with self-emissive displays like OLED since its plasma days.
With this in mind, the big positive news about the MZ980 is that it retains the top-line HCX Pro AI processor also used by its step-up MZ1500 and MZ2000 siblings. Powered and endlessly refined by Panasonic’s engineers with years of experience dealing with both Hollywood creatives and self-emissive panel technologies, always with a strong focus on recreating creative intent, HCX engines can usually be relied on to achieve subtleties, balances and details precious few other TVs can. Especially when it comes to handling the sort of ‘near dark’ image content that’s typically one of the most difficult things for OLED TVs to manage.
While the MZ980 continues Panasonic’s obsession with accuracy, though, especially with its Filmmaker Mode, and True Cinema presets, it’s also open minded enough to provide an unusually wide-ranging roster of other picture presets that put more of an emphasis on pushing the panel to its colour and brightness limits.
The same spirit of trying to cater for everyone extends, happily, to the MZ980’s HDR format support. While many brands, including, most notably, Sony, LG and Samsung, only support three of the ‘big four’ HDR formats on even their flagship TVs, the MZ980 will play all four: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. So the 55MZ980 will always be able to take in the best version of whatever HDR content you feed it.
Gamers, meanwhile, will be pleased to learn that the MZ980 supports 4K/120Hz gaming and variable refresh rates over two of its four HDMI ports, including the AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync VRR formats. We’ll cover the TV’s gaming abilities in more detail later.
Besides the four HDMIs, the MZ980’s connections include three USBs (two side, one bottom, one USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0), an Ethernet port, an analogue video inout, an optical digital audio output, and a headphone jack that unusually does double duty as a potential line out for attaching an optional external subwoofer.
Smart features are provided by the eighth generation of Panasonic’s own My Home Screen operating system. Again we’ll cover this in more detail in a dedicated section later, so all I’ll add here is that this is actually the final outing for My Home Screen before it’s replaced on Panasonic’s future high-end TVs by a fully integrated version of Amazon’s Fire TV interface.
As mentioned in passing earlier, the MZ980 doesn’t have a forward facing, truly multi-channel sound system like its step up OLED siblings do. Its 2 x 15W set up, though, still has enough power to potentially deliver some reasonably cinematic thrills, especially as it’s backed up by Theater Surround Pro processing designed to create a more immersive sound with the Dolby Atmos soundtracks the TV supports than you might expect to hear from a mere stereo speaker set up.
Features score: 4 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 Review: Picture quality
(Image credit: Future)
Exceptional light and colour subtlety
Outstanding picture processing
Brilliant contrast disguises limited brightness
While the MZ980 might not deliver the razzle dazzle of the latest high-end OLED TVs, its pictures are so refined and immersive that it’s hard to believe they’re coming out of a 55-inch TV that only costs £1,399.
This finesse is at its peerless best when it comes to the MZ980’s handling of dark scenes. The screen’s ability to distinguish between incredibly small differences in light in even the darkest corners of the darkest pictures is mesmerising, giving such imagery a unique sense of depth and detail that feels as if it’s jumped straight off a professional mastering monitor. Especially as this extreme subtlety is delivered without a hint of the sort of instabilities, blocking or fizzing noise that can crop up with other OLED screens with near-black content. Dark scenes on the 55MZ980 are as clean and pure as bright ones, in fact.
Since this is an OLED screen there’s no need to worry about backlight clouding or blooming of the sort you would expect to see with LCD TVs. Nor is there any residual greyness hanging over dark scenes, completing the sense of insight and immersion that started with the immaculate near-dark detailing.
While it’s the MZ980’s handling of dark scenes and picture areas that makes the strongest immediate impression, its handling of light is in truth just as effective. From the subtle dark scene shading through to the brightest HDR peaks, the MZ980 delivers levels of light control (right down to individual pixel level, don’t forget, given this is an OLED screen) that appear flawless across every shade. As a result, the picture always feels completely authentic and natural, perfectly balanced and full of depth, while different objects in the image always look impeccably three dimensional, realistic and contextualised.
Again you actually feel like you’re getting a gorgeously full sense of the subtleties of the professional masterer’s art. Despite this TV costing just £1,399 versus the many tens of thousands of pounds a professional mastering display costs.
While the processing and light control is at its most effective with the 55MZ980’s most ‘accurate’ picture settings, its profound understanding of the screen’s hardware strengths and limitations also means that it typically ensures that even the more ‘dramatic’ picture presets never stray into distractingly excessive territory.
The set’s tone mapping is astute enough, meanwhile, to pretty much exclude clipping (loss of subtle details) from the brightest parts of the picture, continuing the sense of ‘sweating the small stuff’ that’s the MZ980’s trade mark.
Colours, meanwhile, look surprisingly vibrant for a TV of relatively limited brightness – aided and abetted by a combination of the immaculate light control, exceptional colour mapping and outstanding contributions, again, from the HCX Pro AI picture processor. It helps, too, that colours are able to appear against a foundation of such deep and natural black colours.
Obviously some picture presets push more vibrant colours than others, as you’d expect with any TV, but the True Cinema and Filmmaker Modes achieve outstanding accuracy and refinement, while even the punchier settings retain more colour balance and control than similar modes on most rival models.
Not surprisingly with a TV that puts so much store in precision, native 4K images on the 55MZ980 look gorgeously detailed and textured. The HCX Pro AI processor also manages to retain a startling amount of this detail and texture, too, when upscaling HD sources. Motion when watching 24p movies can look a touch juddery with no motion processing active (as it can on most OLED TVs, actually), but the lowest setting of Panasonic’s Intelligent Frame Creation motion compensation system is now clever enough to slightly massage the judder effect without making the image look uncinematically smooth or adding too many distracting processing side effects.
The only major elephant in the room with the MZ980’s pictures is their brightness – or lack thereof. There’s no denying that its images don’t look nearly as light and bold as those of the latest generation of MLA-equipped OLED TVs. Nor are they quite as consistently punchy as LG’s similarly priced and specified C3 OLED range, especially where a scene or shot fills the whole screen with brightness.
While this does mean you need to treat the 55MZ980 with respect by lowering light levels in your room when you want to enjoy a serious movie night, though, the MZ980’s infinite subtlety and richly cinematic qualities make it worthy of as much respect as you can muster.
Picture quality: 4.5 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Sound quality
(Image credit: Future)
Good volume and projection
Solid, clean bass handling
Male voices occasionally sound muffled
The bad news about the MZ980’s sound is that it doesn’t deliver either the scale of sound staging you get with Panasonic’s step up models, or as much forward ‘thrust’. This lack of directness might also explain why male voices can sometimes sound a little muffled and contained.
Just because the MZ980 doesn’t sound as big and detailed as its more expensive siblings, though, doesn’t mean it’s not actually a very decent audio performer for its money. Its speakers are powerful enough to get surprisingly loud without succumbing to distortion, for starters, and despite the limited number of speakers on offer a decently wide sound stage is created into which effects are placed with excellent clarity. There’s even a slight sense of height to some effects when playing Dolby Atmos soundtracks.
The speakers are sensitive enough to pick up even the faintest of audio elements in a film mix too, ensuring that soundtracks always sound busy and involving.
Bass doesn’t reach the sort of depths required to unlock the full weight of a potent action scene (so you may want to consider adding a subwoofer via the switchable headphone output at some point), but it does at least delve deep enough to stop loud scenes from sounding harsh or thin. It does so, too, without the low frequencies becoming overwhelming, or causing the speakers to crackle or buzz.
Sound quality score: 4 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Slim frame around the screen
Centrally mounted desktop ‘foot’
A bit chunky round the back
Viewed straight on, the MZ980 is an attractive addition to your living room. Its screen and frame exist on the same single plane, the frame is on-trend narrow, and although it’s a bit more plasticky than the stands of Panasonic’s more expensive OLED TVs, its centrally mounted plate-style foot looks premium and robust.
Having its desktop mount placed in the centre of the TV rather than using feet tucked under each bottom corner also means that the 55MZ980 can be placed on even quite narrow bits of furniture.
The MZ980 is not such a great wall mounting option, though, thanks to the way that two to three inches in from the screen’s outer edges the rear panel suddenly juts out a country mile by OLED standards.
Design score: 4 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Smart features and menus
(Image credit: Future)
Uses the My Home Screen 8.0 smart interface
Long but comprehensive set up menus
Covers all the main streaming services
With Panasonic announcing recently that it’s moving to Amazon’s Fire TV platform for the smart interfaces of its future premium TVs, the 55MZ980 represents the swan song for Panasonic’s long-running proprietary My Home Screen smart TV interface. And while the platform has certainly had its struggles along the way, this eighth and final generation sees it bowing out on good form for the most part.
It now incorporates all of the key streaming and catch up apps the vast majority of UK and European TV buyers would want, and while its interface looks a little basic at first glance, it’s actually really simple to navigate and, best of all, exceptionally easy to customise. There’s voice control support too (Alexa is built in, while Google Assistant works if you have an external Google listening device).
My Home Screen isn’t as sophisticated as some rival smart platforms when it comes to intelligently recommending content you might like, and it can occasionally become a touch sluggish. For the most part, though, I quite like it and might even miss it a bit when it’s gone.
The 55MZ980’s set up menus contain a vast number of adjustment and tweak options for you to pick your way through. There are, of course pros and cons to this. On the negative side the menus are long, text heavy, full of sub-menus and a bit jargon-heavy in places. On the plus side, if you’re the sort of person who enjoys a good tinker the flexibility the 55MZ980 gives you for adjusting any and all aspects of its picture quality is outstanding.
Smart features and menus score: 4 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Gaming
(Image credit: Future)
4K / 120Hz support
Support for multiple VRR systems
Dolby Vision gaming mode
Aside from only two of its four HDMIs delivering the full roster of gaming support, the 55MZ980 is impressively equipped for cutting edge gaming experiences.
Those two high bit-rate HDMIs support 4K resolution graphics at 120Hz frame rates and variable refresh rates, for starters. In fact, the VRR support actually covers both the AMD Freesync and Nvidia G-Sync systems as well as the core HDMI-based format.
The 55MZ980’s Dolby Vision support extends to a proper gaming mode, too, meaning you can game in Dolby Vision HDR from Xboxes and compatible PC cards without having to put up with high levels of input lag. In fact, lag drops to a very respectable 14.5ms with 60Hz sources.
Gamers can call up a dedicated Game Control Board interface containing key signal information and gaming adjustment options, including two different audio profile options optimised for RPG and FPS game types.
There’s even a True Game picture preset alongside the standard Game one, which offers a properly calibrated gaming image for any picture quality enthusiasts who want that.
All of these thoughtful features contribute to a hugely enjoyable gaming experience that looks crisp, ultra-detailed and exceptionally refined. It’s true that HDR graphics don’t look as aggressively bright as they do on some more expensive OLEDs and premium LCD TVs, but as with the 55MZ980’s video performance, the subtleties Panasonic’s screen delivers provide ample compensation.
Gaming score: 4.5 / 5
Panasonic MZ980 review: Value
Great price for what it offers
£200 cheaper than Panasonic’s step-up model
Slightly more expensive than the LG C3
Now that it’s available for a few hundred pounds less than it was at launch, the 55MZ980 is exceptional value. Just £1,399 really doesn’t feel like a lot to ask for a TV that offers as many features and as much top-notch performance – for both gamers and video fans – as the 55MZ980 does.
There is some pretty tough competition around, though. In particular, LG’s excellent OLED55C3 mid-range OLED model can currently be had for just £1,299, offering four full gaming HDMIs and slightly more brightness. Though it doesn’t provide quite the same picture subtlety as the Panasonic.
Stepping up to Panasonic’s 55MZ1500, with the useful step up in brightness created by its built-in heat sink, will cost you an extra £200. Whether that sounds like a better deal or not will obviously depend on how near the top of your budget you already are with the 55MZ980’s £1,399 asking price.
Value score: 4 / 5
Should I buy the Panasonic MZ980?
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Features
A mid-range OLED panel powered by Panasonic’s latest top-of-the-line picture processor joins forces with a comprehensive, easy to use smart system, expansive set up options, and support for the full range of HDR formats.
4 / 5
Picture quality
While not as blazingly bright as more expensive OLED and LCD rivals, the 55MZ980 still manages to deliver breathtakingly balanced, nuanced and detailed pictures with preset options that can cater brilliantly for all sorts of tastes and room conditions.
4.5 / 5
Sound quality
Despite only having two speakers to play with, the 55MZ980 still delivers a large, detailed and powerful sound stage.
4 / 5
Design
There’s nothing particularly dramatic about the 55MZ980’s design, and its rear sticks out further than most, reducing its wall-hanging appeal. It’s well built, though, and the narrow frame round the screen gives it an unobtrusive, elegant feel.
4 / 5
Smart features and menus
My HomeScreen 8.0 may not be the most glamorous smart TV interface in town, but it’s actually very easy to use and customise. The TV’s set up menus also offer a huge amount of flexibility for anyone who wants it – plus excellent presets for those who don’t.
4 / 5
Gaming
Aside from only two of its HDMIs supporting a full set of gaming features, the 55MZ980 provides an excellent set of cutting edge gaming features and options, backed up by a beautifully responsive and immersive gaming performance.
4.5 / 5
Value
The 55MZ980 has a lot to offer in both feature and performance terms for its current £1,399 price tag – though there is some stiff competition out there.
4 / 5
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Panasonic MZ980 review: Also consider
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Comparison of 55-inch models
Header Cell – Column 0
LG OLED55C3
Samsung QE55S90D
Sony XR55A80L
Price
£1,299
£1,249
£1,499
Screen type
WRGB OLED
QD OLED
WRGB OLED
Refresh rate
120Hz
120Hz
120Hz
HDR support
HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
HDR10, HLG, HDR10+
HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
Smart TV
WebOS 23
Tizen OS
Google TV
HDMI ports
4 x fully featured HDMI 2.1
4 x fully featured HDMI 2.1
4, of which two support 4K/120Hz and VRR
How we tested the Panasonic MZ980
Tested over 10 days
Tested with 4K/HD Blu-ray, streaming and Freeview HD broadcasts
Reviewed in both dark and light dedicated test room conditions, and a regular (corner position) living room set up
Given that the 55MZ980 doesn’t carry either a built-in hardware heat sink or new Micro Lens Array technology like some of the best tvs, we started our testing by measuring its brightness using Spears & Munsil HDR window test screens and a professional light meter to try and get a feel for where it lies in the great (and now more complicated) OLED scheme of things.
With its slightly lower than typical brightness in mind, we then went on to spend time watching both HDR and SDR content on it in a wider range of light and room conditions than we normally would to see how well or otherwise it coped with different environments. Ultimately we ended up spending longer with it in a largely blacked out room than we did in brighter settings, since it was in darker surroundings where the TV most excelled, allowing us to fully appreciate its strengths. The set was tested with a selection of our favourite test 4K Blu-rays – especially Babylon, Pan, It Chapter One, Blade Runner 2049, and the Spears & Munsil test signal disc – to see how it handled key picture attributes such as contrast, colour, sharpness, fine detailing, motion and upscaling of sub-4K sources.
We fed it a variety of resolutions from various streaming and digital broadcast sources too, using both the built-in streaming apps and a Sky Q receiver, to see how well its HCX Pro AI processor dealt with the joys of compression artefacts, while gaming was tested using both a PS5 and an Xbox Series X, with a Leo Bodnar input lag testing device being used to measure input lag.
An iPad Air with an OLED display might be four years away. Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
While the first iPad Pro with an OLED display is expected any day now, iPad Air fans will have a much longer wait. Possibly until 2028. That’s what an analyst predicted, anyway.
However, this contradicts a previous report that said an OLED iPad Air would be out in 2026.
No OLED iPad Air until 2028
With OLED (short for organic light-emitting diode) displays, each pixel glows on its own. The result is a bright, even image with strong contrast. This type of screen looks so good, it’s already used for iPhone and Apple Watch. And numerous leaks point to an OLED iPad Pro launching in March or perhaps April.
But don’t hold you breath for the screen tech to appear in Apple’s mid-range line of tablets. “We expect the iPad Air to change to OLED in 2028,” said Kang Min-soo, a senior analyst with Omdia, according to the Korean-language site The Elec (machine translation).
Or maybe sooner?
That said, it’s possible the improved screen tech will become part of the Air product line much sooner. In late 2023, a separate report also coming out of Asia predicted an OLED iPad Air would launch in 2026.
An iPad mini with OLED will also allegedly debut at the same time.
The wait is about OLED cost
As noted, OLEDs are bright, with excellent contrast. And the panels don’t require backlights — pixels glow on their own. That will supposedly allow the 2024 iPad Pro to be 22% thinner than the current model.
For all the improvements, there’s a significant drawback: OLED panels cost more than traditional LEDs. That’s expected to push up the price of the next iPad Pro, though perhaps not as much as had been feared.
The iPad Air line sits between the Pro and “standard” iPad models. Including a high-end screen that pushes the price up too high would mean that Apple has two premium tablets and no mid-range one. So perhaps it makes sense for a four year wait before OLED comes to the Air.
The iPad Air will be the next Apple tablet to adopt OLED display panel technology following its upcoming OLED iPad Pro models, according to an updated forecast from research firm Omdia (via The Elec).
“In 2028, we expect the iPad Air to go OLED as well, with the iPad Air using single-stack and the iPad Pro using two-stack tandem OLEDs,” said Omdia researcher Kang Min-soo, speaking on Thursday at the 2024 Korea Display Conference in Seoul.
A two-stack tandem structure consists of two light-emitting layers stacked together. The two-stack OLED design can generate the same brightness levels as a single-stack design, but with significantly reduced power consumption and extended lifespan. The iPhone currently uses a single stack OLED display with one light-emitting layer.
Omdia’s latest prediction is an adjustment to a forecast published earlier this year, in which it said Apple will launch 8.3-inch iPad mini and 10.8-inch iPad Air models with OLED displays in 2026.
The research firm now appears to be leaning towards the possibility that Apple will launch an OLED foldable in the next few years in the form of a 7- to 8-inch device that could ultimately replace the 8.3-inch iPad mini. According to a previous report, Apple is reviewing a launch timeframe for such a device between 2026 and 2027. The latest report however does not mention whether Kang Min-soo offered his own timeframe.
Apple’s next-generation OLED iPad Pro models are expected to be announced in a matter of weeks, according to multiple sources. They are rumored to have a thinner design, an M3 chip, improved cameras, MagSafe wireless charging, and a redesigned Magic Keyboard accessory that makes the iPad Pro more laptop-like.
Apple is also working on two non-OLED versions of the iPad Air, in 10.9 and 12.9-inch sizes, similar to the two sizes of the iPad Pro. These iPad Air models are expected to be introduced as soon as late March alongside the new OLED iPad Pro models.
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Apple appears to be internally testing iOS 17.4.1 for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software update in our website’s logs this week. Our logs have revealed the existence of several iOS 17 versions before Apple released them, ranging from iOS 17.0.3 to iOS 17.3.1. iOS 17.4.1 should be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear when…
In just four U.S. states, residents can add their driver’s license or ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports, businesses, and venues. Adoption of the feature has been slow since Apple first announced it in September 2021, with IDs in the Wallet app only available in Arizona,…
Apple today announced three further changes for developers in the European Union, allowing them to distribute apps directly from webpages, choose how to design in-app promotions, and more. Apple last week enabled alternative app stores in the EU in iOS 17.4, allowing third-party app stores to offer a catalog of other developers’ apps as well as the marketplace developer’s own apps. As of…
With the refresh of the MacBook Air models in March, Apple now has M3 versions of the 13-inch MacBook Air, 14-inch MacBook Pro, and 15-inch MacBook Air, all with the same chip inside. For those trying to decide between the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air, we did a comparison video to highlight what you’re getting with each machine. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. …
Apple acquired Canada-based company DarwinAI earlier this year to build out its AI team, reports Bloomberg. DarwinAI created AI technology for inspecting components during the manufacturing process, and it also had a focus on making smaller and more efficient AI systems. DarwinAI’s website and social media accounts have been taken offline following Apple’s purchase. Dozens of former DarwinAI …
Is bigger always better? Nope. And the debate rages on over how big OLED smart TV display suits a computer setup. Would you go large at over 50 inches, or stick to, say, 42 inches or smaller?
Today’s MacBook Pro setup raised the issue again, surfacing some sensible advice. And the smart TV in question is on sale!
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MacBook Pro drives big 42-inch LG OLED smart TV display
Redditor Katert (“Kat”) showcased the setup in a post entitled, “My endgame setup.” They run a 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro open on the desk as a secondary display, though they said they might go to clamshell (closed) mode. The laptop drives a huge 42-inch LG C2 Series OLED smart TV.
“Really curious these days about how large to go with a screen,” said a commenter. “Getting closer to large project 3D modeling, and working at 1:20 scale, a 50-inch at the back of an 80 cm depth would be so cool. How does this (what – 30 inches) feel? Would you go larger — Mebbe a 4K screen at larger?”
“I have an 80 cm deep desk and thought it would be on the short side, but it’s very doable,” Kat replied. “I have a keyboard tray I can take out to extend it a bit more, but so far I didn’t feel the need to. Came from a 32-inch screen, and this is so much more immersive, it’s crazy. For reference; its an LG C2 OLED in 42 inch.”
Any ‘burn in?’
Another commenter considering a 42-inch OLED TV for a display mentioned one concern. “Only concern is burn-in cause I basically keep Chrome windows open all day long. But love the size and design,” they said, referring to images burning in and becoming permanent on the screen.
“I had the same concern as well, but I’ve kept ABL on (while a lot of others turn it off using a service remote),” Kat replied. “It automatically dims the screen when it’s being static. Also, I’ve read experiences where people did turn it off and used it for 100s of hours and there’s still no burn in.”
OLED smart TV display
We’ve come across quite a few big smart TVs used as displays in setups. The posts showcasing them sometimes turn into debates over how big a display is too big, and are they unhealthy for both necks and eyes.
A commenter on Kat’s post concluded that 42 inches is a good size, while larger may be too big (and they should know).
“I have a 55-inch monitor, it’s nice for certain tasks, but not all tasks,” they said. “If you need to look at something in the upper corners it’s a bit of a strain. Next time I change monitors I’m going down to a 42 inch.”
Kat’s LG OLED 8 million self-lit OLED pixels that achieve 100% color fidelity and high contrast. The TV’s α9 Gen 5 AI Processor 4K adapts to the content on screen, adjusting picture and sound settings automatically.
And Filmmaker Mode aims to make movies as their makers intended, enhancing the viewing experience with Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos.
What’s more, LG Game Optimizer mode with Nvidia G-SYNC, FreeSync Premium and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) enables fluid on-screen motion. And Game Optimizer manages game settings.
And while the C2 came out in 2022 (normally $1,400, now $880), the C3 is available now, too (normally about $1,200, but on sale now for $997).
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Samsung entered the OLED TV market quite late. Despite being a decade late to the market, Samsung has been rising through the ranks quickly. This year, the company expanded its OLED TV lineup, and it is planning to convert that into higher sales.
Samsung has a plan to match LG in OLED TV sales
Earlier today, Samsung held the ‘Unbox & Discover 2024′ promotional event ahead of the launch of its 2024 TV lineup in South Korea. During the event, the head of Samsung’s TV business said that its market share in South Korea’s OLED TV market is almost as much as that of its rival LG. Globally, Samsung has a 23% revenue share in the OLED TV market, and it plans to reduce that gap in 2024.
Yong Seok-woo, President and Head of Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display Business, said, “Over the past two years, our OLED TVs have experienced rapid growth, and our market share has grown to nearly 23 percent. Our expanded OLED TV lineup for this year will help us narrow the gap in the market.” He added, “Our 77-inch OLED TVs’ market share has grown to nearly match the competitor in the Korean market. We will continue to prioritize premium, large-screen OLED TVs to expand our share.”
Over the past two years, Samsung has sold over two million OLED TVs, while LG shipped three million last year. If you average those numbers, LG sells three times more OLED TVs than Samsung. However, this year, Samsung has added more models and sizes to its OLED TV lineup, and buyers now have more choices. Given Samsung’s brand recognition, more people will likely buy OLED TVs from the company.
You can watch our video of Samsung’s new OLED TV lineup that was showcased at CES 2024 below.
In 2022, Samsung had OLED TVs in two sizes: 55-inch and 65-inch. In 2023, Samsung expanded its lineup to include 77-inch and 83-inch OLED TVs. This year, the company is selling OLED TVs in several sizes and models, ranging from 48 inches to 83 inches. So, people have more choices and more affordable options.
In fact, Samsung’s 48-inch and 83-inch OLED TVs use LG Display’s OLED panels. Since Samsung Display is new to the market with its QD-OLED panels, it still can’t make panels in as many sizes as LG Display. So, Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display business decided to buy 48-inch and 83-inch OLED panels from LG Display.
In December 2023, Samsung launched the Galaxy A15 5G, and by the end of that month, we learned that it was developing the Galaxy M15 5G, which would be a rebranded variant of the A-series device and a successor to last year’s Galaxy M14 5G. Well, almost two and a half months after that news broke out, Samsung has finally launched the Galaxy M15 5G.
The Korean tech giant didn’t make an announcement about the launch of the device. Instead, it silently listed the phone on the company’s official website for Iraq and Levant. The Galaxy M15 5G, as we had expected, is a rebranded variant of the Galaxy A15 5G, and as such, the M-series device has the same specifications as the A-series device, except for the battery capacity, the design of the back panel, thickness, and weight.
While the Galaxy A15 5G has a 5,000mAh battery, the Galaxy M15 5G features a 6,000mAh battery. With that, the M-series device weighs 17 grams more than its A-series cousin, tipping the scale at 217 grams, and has a 0.9mm additional thickness, measuring 9.3mm. To differentiate the two, Samsung is offering the Galaxy M15 5G with a different rear design; it has a chequered pattern instead of the Galaxy A15 5G’s plain back.
Galaxy M15 5G specifications
Like the Galaxy A15 5G, the Galaxy M15 5G has a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate, which is a huge departure from the LCD on the Galaxy M14 5G. You get three cameras at the rear; a 50MP wide sensor, a 5MP ultrawide camera, and a 2MP macro camera. For selfies, you get a 13MP sensor. The primary camera at the rear and the selfie camera can record videos at FHD resolution and 30fps.
Powering the new M-series device is the MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ SoC. The device listed on Samsung’s website has 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. However, we assume that the company will offer it in other memory configurations when it makes the phone available to purchase. While the tech giant hasn’t revealed which version of Android the new phone comes with, we are assuming that it will ship with Android 14 (One UI 6.0).
On the connectivity front, you get options similar to other mid-range Samsung phones, including dual-SIM 5G, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS, USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The Galaxy M15 5G supports 15W wired charging, which is 10W less than what the Galaxy A15 5G can handle. Other features include a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. Samsung is offering the phone in three colors: Dark Blue, Light Blue, and Gray.
Pricing and availability
Samsung has neither revealed the price of the Galaxy M15 5G nor any details about when the company will make it available for purchase. That being said, expect it to cost slightly less than the Galaxy A15 5G and go on sale in the next couple of weeks. Also, expect Samsung to launch the phone in other countries, including India, very soon.
