Apple: foldable iPad should offer 18.8-inch OLED without folding 75 comments
Among the major smartphone and tablet manufacturers, Apple is currently the only one not to have a foldable device. This should change by 2028 with a foldable iPad. Apple has set itself an ambitious goal for the tablet with a foldable OLED screen: an invisible fold. The foldable iPad could be almost 20 inches tall.
Prototypes with “almost invisible” folds
It will still be several years before an Apple foldable iPad is ready for market, but by 2028 the technology could have reached the quality Apple requires to bring the tablet to market. According to a recent report from Bloomberg, Apple’s goal is to have as interruption-free a screen as possible for the foldable iPad. In internal prototypes, the crease is “almost invisible”.
Apple would like to completely get rid of the fold still visible on many foldable smartphones. Some manufacturers in the Android ecosystem are currently doing a better job of hiding the fold, like OnePlus with the Open or Honor with the Magic V3, while other manufacturers are taking more modest steps, like Samsung with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Flip 6. (test).
Similar devices in Windows environment
Windows devices like the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i fall better into the foldable tablet category, but they use two separate OLED panels that are attached to each other with a small gap using a narrow hinge.
Foldable iPad could be 18.8 inches
However, Apple wants to create a foldable tablet with a continuous screen. The tablet offers about as much screen space as two 13″ iPad Pros side by side. Bloomberg expects just under 20 inches and confirms information from an Apple roadmap published on X in early December, according to which an 18.8-inch foldable OLED panel will be available in 2028 with a dynamic refresh rate which is expected to be used in the iPad.
Apple’s alleged OLED roadmap (Image: Jukanlosreve)
The operating system should remain iPadOS
On the software side, iPadOS will continue to form the basis; a hybrid device consisting of a full iPad and a Mac is not planned. However, by 2028, iPadOS should be advanced enough to be able to run macOS apps.
MacBook goes OLED
According to the roadmap, the iPad mini 2026, iPad Air 2027 and MacBook Pro 2026 will switch to OLED technology. However, with the MacBook Air, this won’t be the case until 2027 at the earliest and, depending on the time window, potentially not until 2030.
Foldable iPhone not before 2026
Meanwhile, Apple’s foldable smartphones might hit the market a little sooner. According to Bloomberg, a foldable iPhone should not be expected before 2026, however.
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