The 2024 lineup of iPad Pro is poised to introduce substantial enhancements. These improvements encompass the adoption of new OLED displays, offering heightened color contrast and an enriched user experience for both creative applications and casual usage.
The forthcoming year will also witness a redesigned iteration of the Magic Keyboard accessory for iPad Pro. This revision aims to imbue the accessory with a laptop-like appearance and include a larger trackpad, thereby enhancing overall usability.
Furthermore, the 2024 iPad Pro is expected to come equipped with the next-generation M3 processor, promising elevated performance and efficiency. This innovation may potentially enable the device to surpass the 10-hour battery life threshold.
In the time since its 2018 overhaul, the iPad Pro has seen only incremental changes. Despite meaningful updates to components such as camera hardware, processors, display, and input/output hardware, these modifications have fallen short of the transformative impact expected from a new-generation product.
However, 2024 might herald a departure from the trend of minor upgrades for the iPad Pro lineup, ushering in a rejuvenation and potentially boosting sales through three notable improvements.
1. Novel OLED Displays for the 2024 iPad Pro
Currently, the iPad Pro lineup consists of the 11-inch model, featuring the Liquid Retina LED display introduced during the 2018 redesign, boasting 600 nits typical brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate due to Pro Motion. Meanwhile, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, up until 2021, employed a similar panel before transitioning to mini-LED technology. This shift increased brightness for HDR workflows while maintaining a typical brightness of 600 nits, resulting in a superior viewing experience.
With the anticipated move to OLED panels in 2024, Apple is poised to bridge the gap between the 11-inch and 12.9-inch models. The integration of OLED technology, which Apple has employed in iPhones since the iPhone X launch in 2017, marks a welcome evolution for the iPad. This shift promises significant enhancements for users engaging in creative tasks, thanks to the amplified color contrast, while casual users will also relish an improved content-viewing experience. Moreover, the transition to OLED will likely result in slightly larger 11.1-inch and 13-inch displays.
2. Enhanced Magic Keyboard for the 2024 iPad Pro
Integral to the iPad Pro experience are its companion accessories, with the Magic Keyboard being a standout. Signals indicate that the Magic Keyboard is poised for its maiden update since its debut in 2020.
Reports suggest that this redesign will impart a more laptop-like appearance to the iPad Pro and keyboard combination. Additionally, the redesign will accommodate a larger trackpad within the Magic Keyboard’s frame, enhancing its practicality.
Having utilized the Magic Keyboard alongside my 2018 iPad Pro for over a year, I can attest to the usability of the trackpad, thanks to its precise tracking and responsive click surface. However, the trackpad’s size does feel somewhat diminutive when I switch from my MacBook to my iPad for on-the-go writing. Undoubtedly, the increased size will be warmly welcomed by all prospective purchasers.
There’s also a hopeful expectation that Apple will introduce a row of function keys to the Magic Keyboard, akin to the inclusion in the Magic Keyboard Folio, which has earned acclaim as one of the finest keyboards for the 10th generation iPad. Such an addition would bring a long-awaited enhancement to the iPad Pro.
3. Advancement to the Next-Generation M3 Processor for Superior Performance
Among the upgrades poised for the 2024 iPad Pro, the transition to the next-generation M3 processors stands out as the most probable modification. This transition is rooted in TSMC’s shift to a 3-nanometer fabrication process, diverging from the 5-nanometer process used for the M1 and M2 processors. This innovation promises an augmented transistor density, leading to enhanced performance and efficiency. Notably, estimates suggest a potential 35 percent increase in efficiency. Thus, if the M3 processor indeed finds its way into the 2024 iPad Pro, it could finally surmount the 10-hour usage threshold.
Contemplating an Upgrade for the Next-Generation iPad Pro
While Mark Gurman’s report in the Power On newsletter alludes to a forthcoming redesign, specific details regarding the structural changes in the iPad remain scarce.
From an objective viewpoint, the scope for Apple to effect drastic changes is limited. However, the company could focus on refining the integration of the front camera in landscape orientation and exploring enhancements in how the Apple Pencil docks onto the tablet.