iPad Pro OLED: see Apple's thinner iPad with its best screen ever on Tuesday
The iPad Pro 2024 will have an OLED screen, and we'll get our first glimpse of the tablet on Tuesday, May 7, according to the latest rumors
We’re just days away from seeing the new iPad Pro OLED, which will feature the best iPad screen from Apple as well as a thinner overall design. The Apple launch event is Tuesday, May 7, with more even updates slates for its iPad software and AI features expected at its WWDC 2024 keynote on June 10.
It’s about time for an iPad Pro 2024 to release. As of today, it’s been over a year-and-a-half since the last-generation iPad Pro 11 and iPad Pro 12.9 launched in the US, and, according to the latest reporting by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the iPad Pro OLED is going to be a big specs update inside and out.
iPad Pro OLED release date
Apple is almost certainly launching the iPad Pro OLED 2024 on May 7. But that’s when executives like Apple CEO Tim Cook will show off the new iPad on a live stream. The actual iPad Pro OLED release will differ.
There’s a good chance you’ll be able to pre-order the iPad Pro OLED the same day. Pre-orders for the last-generation 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPads happened on the day of the announcement, although those were smaller upgrades than this one.
It’s a safe bet that if the pre-order phase doesn’t happen immediately, you’ll be able to order it by Friday of next week, according to Apple’s iPhone pre-order track record. The actual release day is expected to occur the following week, between May 13 and May 17.
iPad Pro OLED price
That upgrade from LED to iPad OLED is going to cost you. Currently, the iPad Pro 2022 starts at $799 in the US, and that’s just for the 128GB Wi-Fi model. We could see the iPad Pro OLED 11 cost $999 and the iPad Pro OLED 12.9 cost $1,299.
Prices will be all over the place if, for example, you want an iPad OLED 1TB. You’ll also want to budget for a new Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard, as a refresh of both of these accessories are expected to launch at the Apple event on Tuesday.
New Apple Pencil for iPad OLED
A new Apple Pencil for 2024 is pretty much a given on May 7, as one is illustrated on the official Apple invite. What’s new? The rumor is that the Apple Pencil 3rd gen (if it ends up being named that) will feature haptic feedback.
iPad Pro OLED screen and design
This is the first major refresh for the iPad Pro since Apple ditched the home button and much of the bezel in 2018. While the screen sizes are expected to stay the same – 11 inches and 12.9 inches – the LED-backlit Liquid Retina Display is will replaced by an OLED screen. There are major benefits to this change.
First, this will be the same display technology as seen in The Shortcut’s iPhone 15 Pro Max review. In fact, it dates back to the iPhone X in 2017. It’s about time we get more vibrant hues and true black colors from an iPad Pro.
Second, battery life could be a major benefit of the iPad Pro OLED 2024. Because OLED screens can turn off individual pixels, there’s a potential benefit to this over LED backlit screens, especially if you love using dark mode.
Third, the overall design could be thinner, notes Gurman. While the iPad Pro is fairly thin at 5.9mm (11-inch) and 6.4mm (12.9), the iPad could stand to lose some weight and girth, especially when stuffed into a bag with a MacBook.
Personally, I use my iPad Pro as a second screen paired with the MacBook Pro 14. Apple’s Sidecar feature works great in this way, so an iPad Pro that’s thinner and lighter would be a major win for many Apple consumers.
iPad Pro OLED alernative
If the iPad Pro OLED isn’t in your budget at either size, know that an iPad Air is also expected to launch on May 7 and feature an attractively thin design. According to Bloomberg, it’s supposed to come in two sizes just like the iPad Pro OLED.
The key benefit I see to the iPad Air 2024 vs the iPad Pro OLED 2024 is that the Air may come in more colors. We got a glimpse at the iPhone 16 colors thanks to a leak ahead of the September launch event, and I’d like more than the usual Pro colors of Silver and Space Gray that Apple puts out there.
iPad Pro OLED M4 specs
Tim Cook is likely to wait until the Apple WWDC keynote to talk about AI, according to the company’s latest earnings call. But he may touch on the trendy subject on May 7, as the iPad Pro OLED is expected to debut Apple’s M4 chip with AI capabilities. So far, AI gadgets, as demonstrated in our Rabbit R1 review haven’t lived up to the hype, so Apple will want to take time to get this announcement right.
This is a big deal because while the AI-based Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus from Qualcomm have already been announced, we’re waiting for new devices to feature the processors in laptops, 2-in-1s, and tablets. That’ll likely happen in mid-2024 at the Computex 2024 event. There’s a window in which Apple could beat Qualcomm, Intel, and AMD to the table with a high-end AI chipset. Apple’s A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro models already beats all Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phones we’ve tested. It won’t be a surprise if Apple has performance wins here too.
I’ll continue to update this page as more Apple announcements happen. However, you can leave a comment and I’ll answer anything you want to know about the iPad Pro OLED.