Despite rumors in October saying the contrary, Apple will not release new iPads this year. However, this is likely to happen in 2024 with a significant change on the horizon.
According to ET News, Apple will release the first iPad Pro models with organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) sometime next year. Perhaps even bigger news is that Apple is also planning to increase the size of the iPad Mini from 8.3 inches to 8.7 inches.
According to the latest report, the 8.7-inch iPad mini will launch alongside the new 10.9-inch iPad Air in 2026. Next year, the 12.9-inch iPad Air will debut. All three tablets are expected to feature OLED. The current iPad features a liquid crystal display (LCD). OLED is thinner and lighter than LCD.
Although all of the upcoming iPads mentioned above will have OLED displays, there will be one key difference between them. The 2024 iPad Pro series is expected to feature LTPO panels, allowing for ProMotion features with a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz. However, other models will have LTPS panels, which will limit refresh rates to 60Hz.
This all sounds great until you want to upgrade your iPad Mini or iPad Air. Existing models released in 2021 and 2022 may be updated soon, but not to OLED. The seventh-generation iPad Mini is expected to come with the A16 Bionic chip, which is slightly better than the A15 Bionic chip in the current model. Additionally, it may have a new display controller that fixes the weird jelly scrolling issue affecting some iPad mini 6 users.
On the other hand, the sixth-generation iPad Air is expected to include an M2 chip instead of the M1 chip of the current model. The regular iPad, which will be updated in 2022, may also see an update in the new year.
OLED isn’t just coming to iPads. ET News also notes that the first MacBook with an OLED panel will launch in 2025. The 14-inch MacBook Pro, 13-inch MacBook Air, and 15-inch MacBook Air may see an OLED update in 2026.