Apple is planning to replace the LCD screens in both sizes of the iPad Air with OLED displays some time in the first half of 2027, according to DigiTimes.
Apple is reportedly set to launch an OLED iPad Air in the first half of 2027, expanding its OLED tablet lineup. The supply chain expects Samsung Display (SDC) to lead overall OLED iPad panel shipments, while LG Display (LGD) is expected to retain its supply advantage for the iPad Pro. Whether Beijing-based BOE Technology can enter the Air supply chain remains uncertain.
Apple launched 11-inch and 13-inch OLED iPad Pro models in 2024 and released an 8.5-inch OLED iPad mini on November 6, 2026. If the two Air sizes also switch to OLED in 2027, Apple’s OLED tablet lineup will span the Pro, mini, and Air series, covering five models in total.
We’ve been seeing rumors of an OLED iPad Air for more than a year now. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman in October 2025 reported that Apple was developing one, although it was unlikely to arrive before 2027. He later narrowed that timeframe to the first half of 2027.
In April 2026, Korean’s ET News claimed Apple will use OLED displays on its next-generation iPad Air models in 2027. The outlet says its sources tell it that Samsung Display will begin mass production of OLED panels around the end of 2026 or January 2027, to provide display panels for Apple’s 2027 iPad Air. Apple last updated the iPad Air in March 2026 with an M4 chip.
While Apple’s iPad Pro lineup already boast OLED displays, the iPad Air lineup still uses the cheaper LCD displays that Apple calls Liquid Retina. The Liquid Retina displays are limited to 60Hz refresh rates, not the 120Hz ProMotion display technology used in the iPad Pro display.
OLED display panels provide better image quality compared to LCD displays. OLED displays provide more vivid colors, higher contrast ratio, and wider viewing angles, and in many cases can be more power efficient. Since OLED panels individually control each pixel, resulting in more precise color reproduction and deeper blacks compared to LCD.
However, the iPad Air is expected to use single-stack low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) panels, not like the iPad Pro models, which feature two-stack low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) OLED panels. This means the new OLED panels may be dimmer and will still lack ProMotion.
Industry estimates cited by DigiTimes put 2027 shipments at 4 million to 5 million units each for the iPad Air and iPad mini, and 3 million to 4 million for the iPad Pro. The iPad Air and iPad Pro estimates each cover both screen sizes.
