Apple’s 2022 iPad Pro M2 refresh could be the last time we see the tablet coming in 11- and 12.9-inch sizes. That’s according to display analyst Ross Young, who says that both devices will get marginally larger in 2024 when they adopt OLED screen tech.
Young told MacRumors that the long-rumored OLED iPads will arrive in 2024 in 11.1- and 13-inch sizes. However, as with the iPad mini 6, which got a larger screen without much change to its overall footprint, this change may be accomplished purely via slimmer bezels.
The move to OLED is a big deal for display aficionados. OLED — or Organic Light-Emitting Diode — panels are used in the best 4K TVs and in most of Apple’s smartphones since 2017’s iPhone X. In Apple's current phone lineup, only the iPhone SE 2022 still uses an LCD panel.
Because the pixels are self-illuminating and independently switch off when displaying black, OLED screens offer unbeatable contrast and HDR performance compared to backlit panels. The current 12.9-inch iPad Pro uses mini-LED technology — while truly impressive, mini-LED can’t quite match OLED in the contrast stakes.
It’s only natural that the iPad Pro is set to be the first Apple tablet to benefit from this. The iPad Pro once had a number of premium features that were exclusive to the top-end models, including the Smart Connector for third-party accessories, Apple Pencil support and 120Hz refresh rates.
All of these features have since filtered down to cheaper iPads, making the iPad Pro tougher to justify. But the rumored use of OLED panels should give some people reason to pay more once again.
Still, the move to OLED won’t happen until 2024, Young says. On one level, that’s not surprising, given the iPad Pro was only refreshed with M2 chips in October, but there was a rumor that we were going to see super-size iPad Pros at some point in 14- and 16-inch sizes.
The former was originally identified by Young himself, but he now claims it’s no longer being worked on. In a separate piece on MacRumors, the display analyst suggests that the device has either been canceled entirely or "significantly delayed."
The chance of a 2023 launch for larger iPads was disputed anyway, with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman confirming that Apple was experimenting with larger tablets, but saying that these devices would only arrive “a couple of years down the road at the earliest.”
