There may not be an OLED-equipped iPad Air until at least 2023.

This is according to a new report from The Elec, which claims that Apple has abandoned plans to work with Samsung Display on OLED panels for the upcoming iPad Air. Previous leaks had hinted that Apple would finally launch an OLED tablet in 2022, but according to The Elec, the project was shelved due to disagreements over how it should be built.

The Elec report quotes "a person familiar with the matter" as saying that the partnership with Samsung Display "was scrapped due to either the single-stack structure of OLED panels or profitability issues, or both."

The term "single stack" refers to the structure commonly used in many OLED panels, where red, green, and blue pixels are stacked to form a single emitting layer.

However, Apple would have preferred the iPad Air's OLED panel to use a two-stack tandem structure, using two red, green, and blue pixels each. Theoretically, this would not only double the brightness level, but also extend the life of the panel by a factor of four.

Samsung reportedly opposed this request, pointing out that it has only commercialized single-stack OLED panels to date.

"Unless we can be sure that the 10.86-inch OLED iPad will be sold for a long time, it could be costly for the Korean company to prepare the module process, which is the back-end of the product," the source said.

LG Display is apparently a potential alternative supplier in that it already produces OLED panels in a two-stack tandem structure. However, according to The Elec, the company's production capacity is relatively small and unlikely.

All of this makes it unlikely that the iPad Air 5, if it is released next year, will have an OLED panel. This source claims that the earliest an OLED-equipped iPad will be available is 2023, but it could take until 2024.

Regardless, according to previous reports, the next iPad Air could still have the potential to rival some of the best tablets currently on the market.

A few months ago, we reported that the iPad Air 5 could feature iPad Pro-like features including an upgraded dual camera system, 5G connectivity, and a LiDAR scanner. It is also rumored to feature the A15 Bionic chip found in the current iPhone 13 lineup.

Want more information? Visit our iPad Air 5 hub for the latest rumors and leaks.