Apple plans a modest increase the screen sizes in the next generation of iPad Pro models, according to a reliable source. Numerous earlier leaks indicted these will also be the first Apple tablets with OLED displays.
That will make the upcoming iPad Pro significant a improvement over the 2022 version.
13-inch iPad Pro might actually be 13 inches
Apple has made the top-of-the-line iPad Pro in 12.9-inch and 11-inch versions since 2018, and the larger model is one of Cupertino’s top selling tablets. As premium models, they pack in the features, like the same Apple M2 processor used in the MacBook Air.
And the next gen is reportedly getting a modest increase in screen size. Ross Young with Display Supply Chain Consultants told MacRumors that the 12.9-inch model will be replaced by a 13-inch one. And the 11-inch version of the iPad Pro will go up to 11.1 inches
The change supposedly won’t increase the overall size of the tablets. They’ll have smaller screen bezels instead.
An increase in the size of the smaller version will help differentiate it from the iPad Air, which at 10.9 inches is very close in many respects.
First OLED iPad Pro on the way
It does not come as a surprise that Young predicts that both sizes of the iPad Pro will have OLED screens. He made this same prediction in fall 2022. And other sources said the same throughout 2022.
With Organic Light-Emitting Diode displays, each pixel glows on its own. This leads to a bright, even image with strong contrast. That’s why all but the budget iPhone have one. But OLED is expensive tech, which has kept the tech out of iPad (and MacBook) until now. But the price is apparently coming down.
Apple’s current top-tier tablets have LEDs, though the 12.9-inch version improves on that with mini-LED backlighting.
The first OLED iPad Pro models in the new 13- and 11.1-inch sizes will reportedly launch in early 2024, about 18 months after the release of the current models. That’s the typical delay between new iPad Pros.
And these will remain the largest Apple tablet for the foreseeable future, as a rumored 14.1-inch model has allegedly been scrapped.
