iPad Pro Not convinced iPad needs OLED

[nStyle]

I’ve had my 2021 12.9” iPP with MiniLED since it released and it’s just as good as it was day one.

I am intrigued but not excited by the upcoming OLED iPads. I’m not convinced it’s an upgrade. I certainly don’t need the speed, so the display alone may not make sense either.

MiniLED is already better for peak HDR brightness and the blooming is either not noticeable with this many dimming zones or doesn’t ever bother me. The only gripe I have is the response time. 120hz is nice but there’s motion blur due to relatively poor response times. OLED would improve on this and I can see where artists might notice the difference, especially if they make it 240hz because that would be buttery smooth.

So yeah, my theory is they are going to have to improve the refresh rate for it to be a worthwhile switch, unless they have sourced some insanely bright OLED panels.

 

[sparksd]

I have the M1 12.9 and have compared it side by side with a Galaxy Tab Ultra with OLED and there is definitely a difference, particularly in the blacks and blooming. If it matters to you - as it clearly does to many users here - then it is an improvement and a worthwhile switch.

 

[UltimateSyn]

I would imagine the primary driver for OLED is weight / thickness rather than brightness levels or contrast ratios.

 

[masotime]

A better title would be "Higher refresh rate > OLED"

 

[ipos]

Currently using iPhone 15 pro max. TBH can’t see what’s the difference is with oled screen

 

[HDFan]

OLED is nice, I can see it if I focus on it, but on a day to day basis it doesn't make a difference to me.

 

[Digitalguy]

I would imagine the primary driver for OLED is weight / thickness rather than brightness levels or contrast ratios.

I think that's a factor, although I am worried about the speakers, M1 12.9 was thicker and sounded much louder and fuller than previsous gen 12.9 (with apparently the same speakers). Will the thinner OLED sound... thinner?

 

[Ludatyk]

I think that's a factor, although I am worried about the speakers, M1 12.9 was thicker and sounded much louder and fuller than previsous gen 12.9 (with apparently the same speakers). Will the thinner OLED sound... thinner?

I’m curious… In what context do you use the internal speakers?

I don’t really use iPad speakers… either I‘m using a bluetooth speaker or my headphones, I don’t particularly find iPad speakers something I value. Mind you, I don’t care for a mediocre sound… but if I get a fair sounded experience then I‘m good with that.

 

[troubleonline]

I’m curious… In what context do you use the internal speakers?

I don’t really use iPad speakers… either I‘m using a bluetooth speaker or my headphones, I don’t particularly find iPad speakers something I value. Mind you, I don’t care for a mediocre sound… but if I get a fair sounded experience then I‘m good with that.

I use the built in speakers when watching youtube or netflix in the bath! Not a great place to wear headphones and not watching content where sound quality matters so much.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

unless they have sourced some insanely bright OLED panels.

That’s exactly what they have done, according to all of the rumors.
The new iPad pros will have the very first commercially released two-stackOLED displays, basically meaning that they will have unrivaled brightness and power efficiency from any tablet around.
I believe the two-stack OLED panels also have a much longer expected lifespan.
I know it’s pretty much a meme whenever this is said but… There is a reason Apple takes such a long time to implement these technologies, and it’s because they wait until the trade-offs are either so minimized that they don’t matter, or don’t even exist.
Sure, they could have technically put an OLED display in an iPad anytime within the last 15 years, but it probably wouldn’t even come close to the quality of what they are working with here.

 

[dhershberger]

For general use I think the current screen is fine.

However, I use my current iPad Pro for image editing in Photoshop/Lightroom/Photos when I travel. Once I'm home and I look at the edited photos on my MBP, the screen clearly made a difference as the results are often over or under saturated. This is true whether inspecting my work directly on the MBP screen or on a separate monitor. I am simply not able to accurately judge using the iPad's current screen.

For this reason I think the screen is an iPad weakness and should be upgraded. Whether it needs to be an OLED or Micro-LED, I don't know, but for general use I have no complaints.

 

[AlastorKatriona]

120 Hz is already smooth. Yes it needs OLED. /thread

 

[metalsiren]

I have both the m1 and the 9 Ultra and the ultra screen is better....

 

[6749974]

miniLED display on iPad Pro has two big problems:

1. For 120Hz displays to work properly (ie. crystal clarity during motion) the pixel response needs to be 8.3 milliseconds or lower. Guess what the pixel response is on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro? Answer: 37.53 milliseconds (source). That means its 4.5x too slow. Result: instead of clear imagery, you get smearing and loss of detail during motion, which is the opposite result of what 120Hz is supposed to bring to our computing experience. Here is a gif showing what smearing looks like on an iPad Pro (try to read the text, or see icon detail, while its moving).
2. The main sell of mini LED backlighting is that dark scenes in movies and TV shows are supposed to no longer distract with IPS glow (the light behind the panel, which is why black looks more like a very dark gray). The problem is Apple's implementation and algorithm isn't good enough on such a thin device. So instead of perfect cinematography, you'll watch dark scenes get halos and blotches of light around people and light objects. Here is an image of the iPad Pro displaying blooming during AppleTV's own Severance (great show by the way!). Also when people move, a trail of light follows them (which I'll call ghosting). Here is a gif of the MacBook Pro doing it, which also has mini LED backlighting.

How does OLED solve this?

1. 120Hz needs a pixel response of 8.3 ms or less. Well OLED has a pixel response of less than 1 ms. This is why ProMotion on OLED iPhones are crystal clear.
2. OLED pixels are self-emissive, so there is no backlighting behind the pixels to create blooming. This is why OLED iPhones have no blooming.

[By the way, these issues apply to the MacBook Pros. In fact, the MBP pixel response is 2x worse than the iPad Pros. Apple will resolve that when they move to OLED in 2026]

 

[6749974]

I’ve had my 2021 12.9” iPP with MiniLED since it released and it’s just as good as it was day one.

I am intrigued but not excited by the upcoming OLED iPads. I’m not convinced it’s an upgrade. I certainly don’t need the speed, so the display alone may not make sense either.

MiniLED is already better for peak HDR brightness and the blooming is either not noticeable with this many dimming zones or doesn’t ever bother me. The only gripe I have is the response time. 120hz is nice but there’s motion blur due to relatively poor response times. OLED would improve on this and I can see where artists might notice the difference, especially if they make it 240hz because that would be buttery smooth.

So yeah, my theory is they are going to have to improve the refresh rate for it to be a worthwhile switch, unless they have sourced some insanely bright OLED panels.

If you don't notice blooming, thats fair.

Keep in mind we all have different eyes that view light and contrast differently. Some people are like, "Huh? What is blooming? Never noticed it." and other people are like, "I returned my 12.9" iPad Pro today because I can't stand the blooming, it's everywhere!" Also, blooming is doubly noticeable if you are viewing off-axis; so people who draw on a tilt, for example, may notice it doubly so. And when two people are watching a show, both people will be off-axis, so blooming becomes more apparent in a screen-sharing scenario than if its just one person watching head-on. Theres also panel variability, so one panel can be worse than the other.

Either way, blooming isn't what the artist or filmmakers intended, and I'm sure its a pain in the behind for Apple to manufacture and program algorithms for—not to mention Apple can't put mini LED on the 11-inch iPad Pro or 8-inch iPad mini, so OLED it is. Its just a breath of fresh air for everyone involved, both consumer and Apple alike.

 

[klasma]

I’ve had my 2021 12.9” iPP with MiniLED since it released and it’s just as good as it was day one.

I am intrigued but not excited by the upcoming OLED iPads. I’m not convinced it’s an upgrade. I certainly don’t need the speed, so the display alone may not make sense either.

MiniLED is already better for peak HDR brightness and the blooming is either not noticeable with this many dimming zones or doesn’t ever bother me.

Mini-LED is useless for high-contrast text and reading in the dark. I also prefer the viewing-angle behavior of OLED (less “glowy”).

 

[turbineseaplane]

Given I'm pretty much all "content consumption" on the iPad, I'd love OLED

But ... as I'm an iPad Mini user, I expect to never even get the option for it and instead just keep getting lower end stuff from Tim's Parts Bin

 

[6749974]

Mini-LED is useless for high-contrast text and reading in the dark. I also prefer the viewing-angle behavior of OLED (less “glowy”).

As someone who reads my ebooks in Dark Mode, I cannot agree more.

 

[6749974]

Given I'm pretty much all "content consumption" on the iPad, I'd love OLED

But ... as I'm an iPad Mini user, I expect to never even get the option for it and instead just keep getting lower end stuff from Tim's Parts Bin

Good news. OLED is rumored to be coming to iPad mini devices in 2027. (Source)

 

[turbineseaplane]

Good news. OLED is rumored to be coming to iPad mini devices in 2027. (Source)

Hopefully by then the iPad "Mini" isn't a 9.7" screen device

Apple seems to only make things bigger

 

[6749974]

Hopefully by then the iPad "Mini" isn't a 9.7" screen device

Ha! True, the iPad mini did get bigger.

Is that just the display that got bigger (due to shrinking bezels) or did the iPad mini actually get bigger?

I've never owned one, so haven't paid attention. But now that my old iPad screen cracked, I'm considering it for ebook reading.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Ha! True, the iPad mini did get bigger.

Is that just the display that got bigger (due to shrinking bezels) or did the iPad mini actually get bigger?

I've never owned one, so haven't paid attention. But now that my old iPad screen cracked, I'm considering it for ebook reading.

I think it's actually smaller due to bezel shrink and aspect ratio change (it's close)

The joke doesn't land here as much as on other products, but I worry their desire for MOAR SCREEN!! will lead to a larger Mini next time around at some point

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I’ve had my 2021 12.9” iPP with MiniLED since it released and it’s just as good as it was day one.

I am intrigued but not excited by the upcoming OLED iPads. I’m not convinced it’s an upgrade. I certainly don’t need the speed, so the display alone may not make sense either.

MiniLED is already better for peak HDR brightness and the blooming is either not noticeable with this many dimming zones or doesn’t ever bother me. The only gripe I have is the response time. 120hz is nice but there’s motion blur due to relatively poor response times. OLED would improve on this and I can see where artists might notice the difference, especially if they make it 240hz because that would be buttery smooth.

So yeah, my theory is they are going to have to improve the refresh rate for it to be a worthwhile switch, unless they have sourced some insanely bright OLED panels.

Meh. Speculation is meaningless. We know nothing until we see the displays.

 

[dasmb]

I have a Mini LED iPad and would much prefer an OLED.

The zone based illumination is distracting in any occasion where you have an all black background. Night photography or even simply watching science fiction is less excellent because there's haloing around the edge of anything bright bordering black.

Brightness, well. The iPad is already extremely bright -- I leave it at about half illumination. My MBP display I leave at full brightness. IIRC, the MBP taps out at 500 nits and the iPad 1000 for non HDR content.

I'm sort of deep into OLED, though. I recently purchased a Razer gaming laptop in a size smaller and a generation older than what I wanted mainly because it had an OLED display (which is excellent, btw).

 

[rkuo]

In the real world, the blooming on the iPad Pro 12.9" is not actually much of an issue. I've played with it a lot and you have to be using the iPad in near pitch black darkness to see it. Turn up the lights even slightly and it's no longer visible. If usage in blackout conditions is a big deal for anyone then sure, get the OLED display ... but I just don't see it being a big deal for most people.