2028 iPhones Might Get Tandem OLED Screens Like The M4 iPad Pro

The M4 iPad Pro was the first Apple product to introduce tandem OLED panels, a screen technology that employs two OLED layers to improve image quality, save battery life, and increase the lifespan of the product. A new report from Korea claims that Apple might use the same screen technology for 2028 iPhones, with LG Display being a strong advocate of the technology.

The tandem OLED panel is a key development that makes a product like the M4 iPad Pro possible. The ultra-thin tablet features long battery life thanks to the M4 chip and the new display tech. Tandem OLED panels can offer higher brightness without increasing energy use or offer the same brightness as other iPads while drawing less power. Tandem OLED tech also protects displays from burn-in effects, which will increase the life of the product. Tandem OLED panels could be the tech that smartphone vendors need to further improve the display experience and battery life in smartphones that are getting thinner and thinner.

Apple is among the handset makers most likely to adopt tandem OLED panels in smartphones, considering it helped pioneer the technology with last year's M4 iPad Pro. Apple wouldn't be the first company to do it, as the special edition Porsche Design Honor Magic 6 RSR phone launched in mid-March 2024 features tandem OLED panel tech.

Korean news site DealSite claims that LG Display, a leader in tandem OLED tech, created a low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO)-based tandem organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel for laptops. Such a display could be used in 14-inch laptops in the future. Apple makes 14-inch MacBook Pros, and other reports have claimed in the past that the MacBook Pro will be Apple's next product to get OLED panels. However, the Korean report says that Apple will not use LG's new tech for its laptops.

LG isn't targeting Apple's MacBooks. Instead, the company has been promoting tandem OLED panels for bar-type regular iPhones. The company is targeting the 2028 iPhone series, but the report doesn't mention specific models. Only Apple's expensive M4 iPad Pro features tandem OLED panels.

LG Display manufactures tandem OLED panels for both the 11-inch and 13-inch M4 iPad Pro. Next-generation iPad Pro models will probably get the same display tech. It wouldn't be surprising for Apple's more expensive iPhone Pro models to get tandem OLED panels before the technology becomes available to more affordable models.

Other rumors claim Apple will change its iPhone release schedule next year. The September 2026 launch event will introduce the iPhone 18 Air, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone 18 Fold. The iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e would launch in spring 2027. Apple is also rumored to unveil a special iPhone in 2027 to celebrate the product's 20th anniversary. That "iPhone 20" model could feature a brand-new all-glass design, replicating Apple's strategy for the iPhone X launched in 2017.

If all these rumors are accurate, the iPhone will undergo a significant transformation by 2028. The iPhone series launched in September 2028 might feature ultra-thin profiles and novel form factors, including foldables. The iPhone 21 Pro and iPhone 21 Pro Max — assuming Apple keeps the Pro and Pro Max monikers in place — could be the 2028 iPhone models to feature the tandem OLED panels LG is encouraging Apple to employ in its handsets. This is just speculation, however.

Naming schemes and release schedules aside, tandem OLED panels seem inevitable for the iPhone. Apple will want to improve the iPhone's energy efficiency, and tandem OLED panels can help with that. Also, improving the screen brightness might require an upgrade to tandem OLED tech. Finally, it's not just DealSite mentioning the iPhone display upgrade. A different report from Korea said a few days ago that Apple is looking to adapt the tandem OLED panel structure for iPhone use via a two-year development plan. This schedule implies a 2028 release of the first iPhone with a tandem OLED panel.