Apple’s New OLED iPad Pro Models Could Be Much Thinner

We’re expecting to see updates to the iPad Air or iPad Pro lineups as soon as next month, and a new report from 9to5Mac claims the new models will be significantly thinner. The report, citing sources with knowledge of Apple’s plans, claims the larger versions will be more than 1mm thinner than current models.

The current 12.9-inch iPad Pro measures 6.4mm thick, while the new iPad Pro model is said to be a mere 5mm in thickness. Similarly, the 2022 11-inch iPad Pro comes in at 5.9mm in thickness with the new model said to be 5.1mm thick. However, both iPad Pro tablets may be slightly larger in width and height.

The dimensions of the current iPad Pro models and rumored measurements of the upcoming models are as follows:

• Current 11-inch iPad Pro – 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 5.9 mm
• Upcoming 11-inch iPad Pro – 249.7mm x 177.5mm x 5.1mm

• Current 12.9-inch iPad Pro – 280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.4mm
• Upcoming 13-inch iPad Pro – 281.5mm x 215.5mm x 5.0mm

The slimmed-down iPad Pro bodies are likely enabled by Apple’s move to OLED display technology for the new models. OLED display panels are thinner than LCD panels, which allows Apple to make the tablet a bit thinner overall.

Earlier this year, we reported that the new iPad Pro could get a landscape camera in place of the horizontally mounted camera in the current iPad Pro. Specific system strings sound in iOS 17.4 say things like “Face ID needs to be in landscape to learn how to recognize you,” and “During Face ID setup, iPad needs to be in landscape with the camera at the top of the screen. Once setup is complete, Face ID works in portrait and landscape.”

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also said last year that a new Magic Keyboard for the iPad could be on its way. The current Magic Keyboard for iPad debuted in 2020 and it hasn’t received an update since then.

In addition to the iPad Pro, Apple is also expected to debut two new iPad Air models. The new iPad Air models are expected to include a larger 12.9-inch iPad Air for the very first time. The larger iPad Air is expected to measure close to the size of Apple’s current iPad Pro and is said to measure 280.6mm by 214.9mm by 6mm.

OLED display technology is expected to be limited to Apple’s iPad Pro lineup, so while the 12.9-inch iPad Air will be approximately the same length and width as the iPad Pro, the device will be thicker, due to its continued use of an LCD display.

Earlier this year, we reported that CAD renders of the upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Air show a redesigned back-facing camera. The new pill-shaped design is similar to the camera found on the iPhone X and iPhone XS.

Both the new iPad Pro and new iPad Air models are expected to be powered by Apple’s M3 chip, which first debuted last year in updated MacBook Pro laptops. While Apple hasn’t made an official announcement about when a spring media event might be held, we’re expecting to see an event scheduled for somewhere from late March to early April.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]