These 5 rumored OLED iPad Pro features have us excited

A new iPad Pro with an OLED display is expected to launch later in the year. Here are its top 5 rumored features that we’re excited about.

The OLED iPad Pro of our dreams might soon turn into reality. A report from earlier this week claimed Apple plans to launch the device in the second week of May. Unlike most Apple releases, the upcoming iPad will bring plenty of new features.

While a new display is the most obvious change, there could be other big updates that could make the OLED iPad Pro one of the best tablets out there. Rumors suggest new charging technology, expanded storage options, and a powerful chipset. Since the last iPad was announced back in 2022, it’s safe to expect this upcoming iPad to be a major technological leap.

OLED display

Apple

You must have guessed by the title, but the upcoming iPad Pro will bring an OLED display. That’s a first for iPads, and we are excited to see what new improvements it brings. OLED panels on tablets are not a new thing. Samsung already equips its flagship Tab S9 series with it.

Compared to the mini-LED displays on the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, OLED will bring deeper blacks, faster refresh rates, and improved contrast. Each pixel on an OLED panel produces its own light, so a perfect black is possible by just turning off the pixel. That’s not possible on a backlit panel. Thanks to deep blacks, you get better contrast and a more film-like viewing experience.

If you’ve used one of the older iPhones (iPhone 9 or lower) and also the newer models like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you’ll know the difference between OLED and non-OLED panels.

4TB storage

A questionable rumor from a news aggregator account suggested the OLED iPad will bring 4TB of onboard storage. The rumor is said to come from a parts company in Apple’s supply chain. While we have our doubts about this rumor, it’ll be interesting to see if Apple actually increases the storage.

Apple already has 2TB iPad Pro models on the market. These range in price from $1,899 to $2,199 depending on the size you choose. Having more storage might unlock extra features. For example, the current iPad Pros with 256GB or more storage can record ProRes video in 4K at 30fps.

If Apple bumps up the max storage on their upcoming OLED iPad Pros to 4TB, it’d likely also increase the base storage to 256GB. This would keep the usual five storage tier options. As a result, all of the seventh-generation models would be capable of recording ProRes video in 4K at 30fps.

Of course, this is just an assumption. Apple may stick to the current storage options or have other plans in mind.

M3 chip

The current iPad Pro models are powered by the M2 chip, and a betting person would bet on M3 for the OLED iPad Pro. The forthcoming iPad might be a lot faster and more efficient thanks to the new M3 chip, which Apple announced late in 2023.

Based on a 3nm process, the new chip comes with improved performance in CPU and GPU tasks, and better energy efficiency. A MacRumors report suggests the M3 outperforms the M2 by about 17% in single-core tasks and 21% in multi-core tasks. For graphics performance, the M3 comes shows a solid 15% improvement over the M2.

Paired with the Apple Pencil and the Magic Keyboard, the OLED iPad Pro might bring enough firepower to perform tasks that you’d normally do on a laptop.

MagSafe charging

iPads don’t feature MagSafe charging, but that might change with the OLED iPad Pro. Back in December 2023, MacRumors reported that the upcoming iPad Pro may bring the MagSafe system for charging.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman made a similar claim for the iPad Pro 2022 in 2021, but that didn’t happen. However, it’s likely that the OLED iPad Pro will bring this feature. It’s unclear whether Apple is planning an iPhone-like wireless charging system for the iPad or a Mac-like magnetic charger. In either case, MagSafe could be a neat addition that has us excited.

Landscape camera

Apple might add a landscape-oriented camera to the OLED iPad Pro for better usability. Currently, both iPad Pro models have a FaceTime camera placed at the top, causing the camera to be off-center during FaceTime calls in landscape mode.

The next iPad Pro’s front camera is rumored to be on the side. This would mean the camera is upright when you hold the iPad in landscape mode, which is ideal for video calls when using the iPad with a keyboard.