Apple is expected to upgrade its iPad lineup in the first half of 2024. The upcoming iPad Pro is also said to feature Apple’s M3 chipset, with a shift to OLED screens. Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), now reports that Apple will use LTPO-based OLED panels on its newer iPad Pro.
He further mentions that the upcoming iPad Pro will be the first tablet in the world with tandem stack displays, making it more durable. The LTPO panel will also reduce the power consumption of the iPad. Let’s have a look at how these two factors can significantly improve Apple’s upcoming iPad Pro.
Apple M3 iPad Pro And Its New Display
Apple has not used a proper OLED screen on its iPads yet. While the latest iPad Pro 6th gen comes with a mini-LED display, it is still not as good as a true OLED panel. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have previously reported that Apple’s switch to OLED panels on the iPad Pro is expected in 2024.
According to Ross Young’s post on Twitter, Apple will take a step further and introduce LTPO OLED screens on the iPad Pro. LTPO stands for low-temperature polycrystalline oxide, which is an enhanced version of OLED. The biggest advantage of LTPO is its native support for adaptive refresh rate, which helps to reduce power consumption.
A regular OLED screen requires additional hardware and has to rely on the GPU of the device to switch between refresh rates. However, it can only switch between fixed presets like 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz. LTPO can adapt to any refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz, without any extra hardware or external processing.
When you are looking at a static image, the LTPO panel will set the refresh rate to 1Hz. It will instantly switch to 120Hz when you start scrolling. This will improve the battery life of iPads by a huge margin.
The second biggest upgrade will be the introduction of tandem stack display technology, which uses multiple layers of LEDs, instead of a single layer in standard OLEDs. This will make the display more durable, and reduce the overall thickness of the panel. It also helps to reduce the chances of screen burn.
The upcoming iPad Pro will be the first tablet to feature this display technology. Tandem stack panels are usually found on high-end TV sets. Ross Young also mentions that the iPad Pro will also be the thinnest OLED tablet.
iPad Pro (M3) Expected Launch Date
As per previous reports, Apple is expected to launch its newer iPads in two phases. The company may launch the base model iPads in the first quarter of 2024. The iPad Pro is tipped to launch in mid-2024. However, Apple has not confirmed any release dates for its iPad refresh.
Along with OLED screens and the Apple M3 chipset, the upcoming iPad Pro is also expected to feature MagSafe support. This also means that Apple may switch to a glass back panel from the regular aluminium, to allow wireless charging.
