The OLED iPad Pro Is Reportedly on Track to Ship in April

We’ve heard rumors of the iPad Pro adopting OLED screens for over half a decade now, and it looks like 2024 may be the year it finally happens.

Although suggestions that Apple would embrace larger OLED panels for the iPad go back to at least the debut of the OLED iPhone X in 2017, it’s been mostly a spate of on-again-off-again rumors over the years, with little certainty surrounding Apple’s plans. Until recently, that is.

In 2021, the 12.9-inch Mini-LED iPad Pro threw a bucket of cold water on the idea of an OLED iPad Pro, but even before that debuted, many analysts agreed that Mini-LED was just a stepping stone, and the fact that the 11-inch iPad Pro retained the LCD screen for not one, but two iPad generations, seemingly proved that point.

In fact, the consensus was that the 11-inch iPad Pro would skip mini-LED and go straight to OLED, and by early 2022, those plans seemed to be coming together.

So, it wasn’t a huge surprise when more reliable reports began appearing last summer that Apple was indeed working on a major overhaul for the 2024 iPad lineup — a significant set of changes that would include a switch to OLED for the iPad Pro and a larger iPad Air — and that production of the new panels would begin in early 2024.

Today, this has been further confirmed in a new report by South Korea’s The Elec (via MacRumors), which reveals that OLED panels for the new iPad Pro have entered production this week and are on target to be included in iPad Pro models that will begin shipping in April.

Specifically, The Elec notes that LG Display has already begun manufacturing the thin film transistor (TFT) modules for the 13-inch iPad Pro LTPO OLED panels and is expected to begin producing 11-inch display TFT modules this week, along with Samsung Display, which will also supply OLED panels for the 11-inch iPad Pro.

LG Display is the exclusive supplier of the 13-inch OLED panels for Apple, but since the smaller iPad Pro is typically in higher demand, Apple has pegged both LG and Samsung as suppliers for the 11-inch OLED panels.

Although the April shipping timeframe may seem too late for Apple’s rumored “March Madness” event, where the company is expected to unveil everything from new M3 MacBook Air laptops to the iPad Pro and iPad Air, it still fits most of the reports we’ve been hearing.

For instance, while Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman predicted the March event, he also hinted that Apple might use it to announce some new products that could have later shipping dates. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time Apple has done this, and preorders could still open in late March with April availability.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also predicted a second-quarter launch for the new iPads — at least for the Pro models — which would put them in the April to June timeframe.

The new iPad Pro lineup will undoubtedly be powered by Apple’s new M3 chip, which debuted last fall in a refreshed 24-inch iMac and entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro. However, the OLED panels are expected to cost Apple significantly more to produce, which could result in the iPad Pro lineup seeing its first significant price increase in several years.

[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.]