A new report days ahead of Apple’s May 7 ‘Let Loose’ iPad event has revealed that Apple’s new OLED iPad Pro M3 (or should we say M4?) will feature new OLED display technology that even the best iPhones can’t offer.
Apple has confirmed that it will host a May 7 keynote event next week, where the company is widely expected to unveil its new best iPad alongside the iPad Air 6, Apple Pencil 3, and a new Magic Keyboard. One of the biggest rumored upgrades for that iPad Pro, aside from the new Apple silicon, is a new OLED display. Earlier this week a top display supply chain insider revealed the new iPad Pro will feature “by far the best OLED tablet panels on the market.” Now a new report reveals some of the specific new technology expected to feature.
A Digitimes report seen by iMore Thursday states that “LG Display (LGD) and Samsung Display (SDC), are responsible for supplying OLED panels for the new iPad and will incorporate many new panel technologies not previously used in iPhones.”
OLED iPad Pro display upgrades
As per the report, “the new iPad's OLED panels are said to use a hybrid substrate that combines glass substrate and polyimide (PI) materials” which will combine the advantages of both flexible OLED plastic substrates and the more rigid OLED glass substrates, “overcoming the downsides of both.”
Apple is also reportedly leveraging an etching solution “to remove unwanted parts from glass substrates, thus making them extremely thin.” The report further notes that Apple “is adopting the 2-stack tandem technology for the first time.” This will reportedly involve two OLED layers on either side of a refractive index charge generation layer. All of this should add up to the thinnest, lightest, and most vibrant OLED tablet display on the market. Specific visual benefits to the user will likely be a significant highlight of the May 7 keynote, alongside some significant upgrades to Apple Pencil, which the company has explicitly teased ahead of the event.
Separately, Digitimes reports Thursday that “although the initial stocking volume of the OLED iPad Pro was revised down, as long as the price is good, there is still a chance to see excellent sales,” according to supply chain insiders. The iPad Pro is long overdue a significant hardware upgrade, and it sounds like May 7 might finally deliver the goods. Display aside, the other major iPad Pro upgrade might be the M4 Apple silicon chip, rather than the previously rumored M3. The M4 chip is the next generation of Apple silicon and is expected to feature a significantly upgraded Neural Engine with a heavy focus for on-device AI support.
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