Apple may be discontinuing its 12.9-inch iPad Pro with mini-LED backlighting in 2024.
Per Taiwanese research firm TrendForce, the tablet may not remain in the lineup for a reduced price following the launch of the rumored 13-inch iPad Pro with an OLED display next year.
The article points out that the shipment volume for mini-LED notebooks is estimated to decrease by approximately 39 percent year-over-year. The mini-LED tablet market is also expected to decrease by about 15.6 percent year-over-year as well.
In December 2022, noted display industry analyst Ross Young stated that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro would be succeeded by a 13-inch iPad Pro with an OLED display. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has weighed in with expectations of 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models featuring OLED displays, an M3 chip, and an aluminum Magic Keyboard to launch next year.
OLED display technology would allow for the next iPad Pro models to offer increased brightness, higher contrast ratio, greater color accuracy, and lower power consumption compared to the existing models with LCD panels. Young said Apple would be using very thin hybrid OLED displays with a combination of flexible and rigid materials, which could allow for the next iPad Pro models to have a slightly thinner design.
The iPad Pro models released since 2017 have supported ProMotion, which has allowed a variable refresh rate between 24Hz and 120Hz. The switch to OLED would likely allow for the refresh rate to drop down even further to 10Hz or lower to save battery life. iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro models can reach as low as 1Hz while in always-on display mode.
It’s thought that Apple will update the iPad Air, iPad mini, and entry-level iPad models in 2024, although none of these models are expected to switch to OLED over the year.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via MacRumors and TrendForce