Kuo: Apple Cancels Plans to Release iPad Air With OLED Display in 2022, Plans to Stick With LCD Technology

Apple has canceled its plans to release an updated iPad Air with an OLED display next year due to concerns around quality and costs, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in an investor note obtained by MacRumors.

OLED iPad Air
In March, Kuo reported that Apple had an ‌iPad Air‌ with an OLED display in the pipeline for next year. Today, Kuo has revised his prediction, saying that will not be the case since Apple has canceled those plans due to costs and performance not meeting the company's expectations.

Kuo had previously stated that the 11-inch iPad Pro would be receiving a mini-LED display next year, and Kuo today doubled down on that claim by saying it will be the "focus of [the] iPad line in 2022." Currently, only the 12.9-inch iPad Pro includes the newer mini-LED technology. One reason Kuo states that Apple had canceled its OLED ‌iPad Air‌ is that it may have been detrimental to the sales of the forthcoming 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ with a mini-LED display.

While Apple plans to stick with an LCD display for the ‌iPad Air‌, Kuo says the company continues to research and develop newer display technologies for the ‌iPad‌ line. A report last week suggested that Apple and Samsung had abandoned their joint plans to develop an OLED display for a forthcoming updated 10.9-inch ‌iPad Air‌.

Related Roundup: iPad Air
Buyer's Guide: iPad Air (Neutral)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
maxresdefault

Here's How the iOS 26.1 Transparency Toggle Changes Liquid Glass

Monday October 20, 2025 1:55 pm PDT by
With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
iOS 26

What's New in iOS 26.1 Beta 4

Monday October 20, 2025 1:02 pm PDT by
Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below. Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness,...
kohler toilet sensor

Kohler Launches $600 iPhone-Connected Toilet Camera That Monitors Your Health Through Waste Analysis

Monday October 20, 2025 1:42 pm PDT by
Kohler is expanding its line of bathroom products with Dekoda, an iPhone-connected device that's designed to be attached to a toilet rim (via The Verge). The device's included "sensors" point into the toilet bowl, allowing it to analyze what goes on in the bathroom. According to Kohler, Dekoda is a health tracker that can monitor gut health and hydration, as well as detect the presence of...

Top Rated Comments

IMPOSSIBLEMAN Avatar
53 months ago
[HEADING=2]Me: Customer Cancels Plans to Buy iPad Air in 2022, Plans to Stick With old iPad Air.[/HEADING]
Score: 83 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacStreamer Avatar
53 months ago
It never made sense for the Air to get OLED when the 12.9 Pro just got miniLED.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dantracht Avatar
53 months ago
Getting harder and harder for me to be motivated to upgrade ANYTHING Apple this year.

Would have upgraded one of my iPads to something OLED, now.....meh.

I went into the summer expecting to upgrade my 11PM, Mini 5, and even my AW6. Same for my GF with her XS max and AW3, now......we "might" get the 13PM around the holidays, if at all.

News like this doesn't help to motivate me.

From "I have to have the latest and greatest" to "what I have works so well I'll just.....not" in 2 short years.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
53 months ago

Maybe the real reason is because they’re finally realizing that OLED PWM flickering is not good for anyone. We can only hope.
Where’s even one peer-reviewed clinical study published in a reputable medical journal that says that?
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bodhitree Avatar
53 months ago
Really, who cares what Kuo or the other ‘leakers’ say? It is so much hot air until Apple officially announce the products.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Robert.Walter Avatar
53 months ago
Jelly scroll is not as popular as jelly roll?
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)