Apple’s rumored plans to move to OLED technology in future iPad models could involve using a “hybrid” OLED technology that combines both rigid and flexible OLED panel materials. Elek (original Korean version).

According to the report, Apple is reluctant to rely solely on the flexible OLED technology it uses in its iPhone models, as the panels tend to “crumple”, an effect that becomes more pronounced as displays get larger. .

From the machine translation of the original Korean report:

When it was learned that Apple was planning to apply hybrid OLED to its first OLED iPad, the industry speculated that cost savings were the culprit.

However, it turns out that Apple preferred hybrid OLEDs for reasons other than this cost reduction. An official from the parts industry said, “Apple hated the fact that using flexible OLED makes a part of the product screen wrinkle in the user’s eyes.” “Since the iPhone’s OLED screen is 5 to 7 inches, these features are not very apparent, but they are relatively noticeable in IT products with large screens (10 to 20 inches),” he said.

Hybrid OLED technology is not yet perfected and will be at least a year away from being commercially viable before it can be incorporated into OLED iPads by around 2024, but reports indicate that both Samsung and LG are working on just this technology. resulting in a thickness of about 0.5 mm to 0.2 mm, which is the current standard.

The report says Apple may still opt to use flexible OLED panels in its iPad models if the shortcomings can be addressed, but at least for now it’s thinner than rigid panels and more flexible than flexible panels. It seems that hybrid panels could be a better option because they are cheaper panels.