Apple’s M4 iPad Pro has a new hidden sensor on the back: Here’s what it does
AppleApple’s new OLED iPad Pros are the most powerful tablet PCs out there, and the new M4 model comes with multiple sensors at the back. One of these new sensors is shrouded in mystery, but we’ll break it down for you.
Besides adding a new OLED panel and a powerful chipset at the core, Apple has also overhauled the camera island on the new 2024 iPad Pro.
This new camera module on this new iPad has a single wide-angle camera, a Lidar sensor, microphone, LED flash, and a mysterious new sensor.
Apple didn’t discuss this sensor in detail at the Let Loose Event but instead stated the iPad Pro “features a new adaptive True Tone flash that makes document scanning on the new iPad Pro better than ever.”
Apple9To5Mac suggests that this is an Ambient Light sensor. For the uninitiated, this is not a new sensor and is generally housed under the display.
It is used to sense the amount of ambient light present, and appropriately adjust the device’s screen to match it. However, it is probably the first time a brand has used this sensor at the back, in conjunction with other camera sensors.
This sensor will assist the new adaptive TrueTone Flash in scanning documents, using on-device AI to detect the lighting conditions and shadows before scanning a document. It will then capture multiple document shots and stitch them together to produce a clearer scanned image.
The sensor may be used to improve photography, however, Apple hasn’t specified more use cases yet. That said, the omission of the ultra-wide sensor from the camera module is one of the biggest surprises on the 2024 iPad Pro.