An OLED iPad Pro is the upgrade I’ve been waiting for
OLED panels were initially used by Apple in the original Apple Watch and the iPhone X in 2017. And, naturally, the Touch Bar (RIP). However, it has taken a while for it to abandon LCD in other areas, including as its iPads, iMacs, MacBooks, and freestanding displays. I’m all for OLED on everything, but if the iPad Pro gets it first—as the rumours say—that’s okay with me.
My 11-inch iPad Pro is the one gadget whose usage of an LCD display irritates me the most. As long as I’m staring at the screen directly, it seems good. As you go slightly off-axis, though, the screen becomes much darker. That also applies to my laptop, although I sit in front of it constantly and nearly always have a text-filled browser window open.
An LCD’s lack of contrast also annoys me more than it should because of the gray-black letterboxing and shadows when I watch films and television. That doesn’t matter if I’m simply reading, but the deeper blacks of OLED would appear better if I were watching a movie or playing a game, especially one like Resident Evil Village, which will undoubtedly run on the next iPad Pro. Additionally, objects with the added contrast might be easier to see in a dark horror game.
Other implications of OLED include an iPad screen that is constantly on. That would enable an allegedly leaked version of the iPhone’s StandBy mode that transforms the iPad into a real blue smart display, thereby giving the tablet a much-needed market niche.
I would gladly trade my M1 iPad Pro to get the next Pro model if an OLED update meant more than simply a lovely screen.
