Apple could launch its first OLED iPads in 2024

Next week Apple is going to launch the iPad Pro 2022 and it is… rather familiar - and that’s putting it mildly. No wonder Apple decided against holding a dedicated event for its latest flagship tablet and announced it via a press release instead. This year’s model is underwhelming to say the least.

In essence, the iPad Pro 2022 is just a (slightly) more powerful version of its predecessor. However, the M1 chip was and remains so grossly overpowered that a 15% CPU performance increase is hardly going to make much of a difference in day-to-day use.

Beyond that, there are a couple of new gimmicky features but little more. One of the biggest letdowns of this year’s lineup is the fact that the 11” iPad Pro did not receive the mini-LED panel of its bigger brother.

This omission narrows the gap significantly between the iPad Air and the smaller iPad Pro, but also indicates that Apple might be holding back for something big. According to Ross Young, a prominent display industry insider, the Cupertino company is preparing to launch its first ever OLED tablets in 2024.

Given the refresh cycle of the iPad Pro (which tends to be about a year and a half long), this means that the next generation of the device could be the first to feature OLED panels (possibly, alongside the rumored gigantic 14-inch iPad).

This information was first brought forward in a tweet and subsequently covered by MacRumors in a dedicated article. Young stipulates that both the 11” and 12.9” iPad Pros will be receiving the OLED treatment.

In a sense, this makes the M2 iPad Pro little more than a stepping stone. Apple is preparing for something big. In the meantime the company has decided to give the iPad Pro the M2 treatment - not because it is necessary, but because it can.