Since the OLED iPad Pro models received a price hike, Apple decided to accommodate consumers who wanted Apple’s largest iPad displays but didn’t want to pay for OLED. So the tech giant added a 12.9-inch iPad Air to the 10.9-inch model pretty much matching the OLED iPad Pro models with a less expensive iPad Air line featuring LCD displays. Both iPad Air models refresh at an old-school 60Hz rate.
The iPad mini goes OLED in 2026 according to this roadmap
After a quiet 2025, the first new entry in the roadmap takes place in 2026 when we are supposed to see a new iPad mini with a rounded corner 8.4-inch hybrid OLED display. Unlike the Tandem OLED panels used on the 2024 iPad Pro models, the 2026 iPad mini uses a single RGB layer. This screen will feature a 60Hz refresh rate.
Roadmap takes us through 2028 for various Apple iPad models. | Image credit-@Jukanlosreve
Also in 2026, the MacBook Pro gets a slight increase in screen size from 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch to 14.3-inch and 16.3-inch respectively. Besides the small hike in screen size, the two panels will go from LCD to hybrid OLED Tandem displays with an Oxide TFT. Instead of a notch, the display will use a punch hole and will refresh at 10Hz-120Hz.
The following year, which will be 2027 if you’ve lost your place, the iPad Air also gets to switch to OLED from LCD and the slightly larger screens (11-inch and 13-inch) will have the hybrid OLED panel with the single RGB layer and a 60Hz refresh rate.
And that takes us to 2028. The iPad Pro, the top-of-the-line Apple tablet will be back. The 11-inch and 13-inch displays will continue to use the hybrid OLED panels with the Tandem displays while also employing TSP on TFE (Touch Sensor Panel on Thin Film Encapsulation) and a Polarizer-less design. Polarizers are used to control the orientation of light, but without them, displays can be brighter, colors can be more accurate, and less power is consumed.
An 18.8-inch foldable iPad/MacBook is penciled in for a 2028 release
Because OLED panels create their own light, they are more power-efficient than LCD screens. When displaying a dark or black color, the pixels are turned off saving battery life which is why Dark Mode saves battery life on an OLED paneled device. OLED displays also offer true black coloring and higher contrast. The Tandem OLED panels deliver brighter images and use less power. They also last longer.