iPad Pro OLED Display Production Reportedly to Begin Around February

Wednesday November 8, 2023 2:18 pm PST by Joe Rossignol

LG and Samsung plan to begin mass production of OLED display panels for the next-generation iPad Pro models around February 2024, according to a report today from South Korea's Chosun Ilbo. The news was highlighted by the website OLED-Info.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models with OLED displays, an M3 chip, and an aluminum Magic Keyboard to launch next year. With mass production of the OLED displays reportedly not beginning until February, it seems unlikely that the next iPad Pro models would be ready to launch in March, a common month for Apple to announce new products. It seems more likely that the next iPad Pro models would be announced at WWDC in June or later, but Apple's plans could still change.

The current iPad Pro models are equipped with LCD panels, and the 12.9-inch model also features mini-LED backlighting for increased brightness and a higher contrast ratio. OLED technology would eliminate the need for backlighting, with benefits including even higher contrast ratio with deeper blacks, lower power consumption, and more. Apple is expected to use very thin hybrid OLED displays with a combination of flexible and rigid materials, which could allow for the next iPad Pro models to be slightly thinner.

There have been rumors about the iPad Pro adopting OLED technology for several years, and it seems that it will finally happen next year. The next iPad Air, iPad mini, and entry-level iPad are all expected to stick with LCD panels.

Apple last updated the iPad Pro line in October 2022, with key new features at the time including the M2 chip, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support, hover functionality for the second-generation Apple Pencil, and support for ProRes video recording.

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Top Rated Comments

kerplunknet

2 days ago at 02:25 pm

Just another Apple device that many of us won't be able to use because of PWM. I'm sure it will be great for those who don't get eye-strain, headaches, and nausea from those displays.

Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

macduke

2 days ago at 02:24 pm

I'm really not too interested in OLED for the iPad because the display on my 12.9" is really good already. With an M1 chip and 16GB of RAM, I can't really see myself needing to upgrade anytime soon from my early 2021 model. It just never breaks a sweat doing anything that you're likely to do on an iPad.The thought of an 11" iPad Pro with a better screen is intriguing, and now that I've downsized to a 14" MBP M3 Max from my old Intel 16", it makes more sense to have a smaller iPad Pro. The 12.9" can be bulky for a tablet and casual use. That might tempt me in another year if they aren't outrageously priced, per the earlier rumors.

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

chaospet

2 days ago at 02:34 pm

I love the mini-LED display on my current iPad, OLED is not much of a draw for me.

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

klasma

2 days ago at 02:58 pm

OLED sucks especially because of burn-in which is not yet solved. Beside, there isn't any advantage over mini-LED in terms of professional uses.

OLED is great for reading in the dark, where mini-LED just produces blooming. I've been using a Samsung OLED tablet for a couple of years now, which I look forward to finally replace by an OLED iPad. Apple is really late to the game here (Samsung introduced the first OLED tablet 12 years ago). MIni-LED wouldn’t be a good option for my use case, and besides doesn't exist for the 11" anyway.

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

kdesign7

2 days ago at 02:29 pm

Definitely been a hot minute since my last comment. Im stoked. Bring on the OLED! I’m ready for it!

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

fathobbit

2 days ago at 04:32 pm

OLED is great for reading in the dark, where mini-LED just produces blooming. I've been using a Samsung OLED tablet for a couple of years now, which I look forward to finally replace by an OLED iPad. Apple is really late to the game here (Samsung introduced the first OLED tablet 12 years ago). MIni-LED wouldn’t be a good option for my use case, and besides doesn't exist for the 11" anyway.

I'm in the same boat as you. I currently use an OLED galaxy tab ultra to read PDFs/academic journals. Tried an ipad but there was a lot of blooming in dark mode, especially visible when reading in the dark. Can't wait for an OLED iPad to replace the galaxy.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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