iPad Pro The Pros are worth it for the OLED alone

[the future]

It's all over - just search for ipad pro tandem oled

Like here:

This is not RGB?

As for the text the tandem OLED not being a pure RGB layout will make the text less distinct/sharp.

Apart from the question of RGB (or not), the proof is in the pudding and text on the M4 iPad Pros is tack sharp. As I said, I have both at the moment and text sharpness is identical to my eyes, if not better on M4 because of the higher contrast.

 

[OSXphoto]

Good post. They showed the layout and it's not a normal RGB layout and that's why this new display is more blurry than the miniLED Pros, especially with text.

So say I would decide to go to the store and bring my camera (14 pro max RAW 48mp) to photograph a white background with some text up close. What model would I compare that with? There won't be any miniLED Pro's around anymore. Are there any other miniLED displays in the current Apple product lineup, such as MacBooks or even the iPad Air M2?

 

[pdoherty]

What you need to know about OLED monitors, PenTile, and text clarity

Accuse an OLED display of being PenTile, step back, and watch the world burn. Here’s what you need to know about text clarity before you go OLED.

www.pcworld.com

Not sure why it's confusing that the non-symmetrical layout the OLED display requires leads to fuzzier text?

LCD displays with an RGB subpixel layout technically arrange subpixels in a uniform, consistent pattern, which is good news for sharpness and consistency. Other display technologies, including OLED, have difficulty achieving this consistency. The exact reason for this differs between technologies but the result is the same. Subpixels are not placed in a consistent RGB pattern.

An example from a Dell OLED display and how unsharp its text is due to the pixel layout OLED required:

 

[pdoherty]

So say I would decide to go to the store and bring my camera (14 pro max RAW 48mp) to photograph a white background with some text up close. What model would I compare that with? There won't be any miniLED Pro's around anymore. Are there any other miniLED displays in the current Apple product lineup, such as MacBooks or even the iPad Air M2?

Any 12.9 iPad Pro using an M1 or M2 would work for comparison.

 

[Rafterman]

What you need to know about OLED monitors, PenTile, and text clarity

Accuse an OLED display of being PenTile, step back, and watch the world burn. Here’s what you need to know about text clarity before you go OLED.

www.pcworld.com

Not sure why it's confusing that the non-symmetrical layout the OLED display requires leads to fuzzier text?



An example from a Dell OLED display and how unsharp its text is due to the pixel layout OLED required:

View attachment 2388533

It's kind of ridiculous to zoom into that level to complain about something. Under normal use, text is not blurry.

 

[rui no onna]

It's kind of ridiculous to zoom into that level to complain about something. Under normal use, text is not blurry.

I haven't really checked the M4 iPad Pros yet but on other PenTile matrix OLED devices I've used, I need 400+ ppi so as not to notice the grain.

I don't need to zoom in and it's not like I can see the individual pixels but text particularly the edges just look weird to me.

 

[pdoherty]

I haven't really checked the M4 iPad Pros yet but on other PenTile matrix OLED devices I've used, I need 400+ ppi so as not to notice the grain.

I don't need to zoom in and it's not like I can see the individual pixels but text particularly the edges just look weird to me.

Yep - it's like a bad dithering/smoothing effect.

 

[the future]

And there is nothing like that to be found on the M4 Pros …

 

[the future]

Here is a picture straight from iFixit‘s teardown video ... and the tandem OLED is indeed RGB. Case closed.

 

[OSXphoto]

Any 12.9 iPad Pro using an M1 or M2 would work for comparison.

I understand that, but in stores those models aren’t on display anymore. I’m there now.

 

[OSXphoto]

How close would you like me to zoom in?

 

[OSXphoto]

Here is a text blow up:

 

[OSXphoto]

FTR this is the 13” M4 iPad Pro

When I use two pairs of glasses I can look up close so my eyes are 6” from the display. At that level I can just see the pixels in the macrumors logo (the red apple with question mark) and along the edges of the M of MacRumors. But I don’t usually do that

 

[OSXphoto]

Same cutout on the M4 11” iPad Pro :

 

[OSXphoto]

This is the 13” M2 iPad Air, not too bad either IMO. however the brightness difference is very noticeable.
all units are displayed with 100% brightness.

 

[Royksöpp]

I had an iphone 12 mini before upgrading to 15pro last year. Difference was also night and day.

How? They are both OLED screens. The only difference is promotion which is nice, but not a night and day difference.

 

[redman042]

I’m browsing this thread on my new M4 11” Pro that I just unboxed a couple hours ago. I have to agree with the OP. The display is as good as it gets. I upgraded from a 2018 11” Pro and what a huge upgrade this is. I debated the cost of going all the way to the M4 for a while. I don’t do heavy computing on the iPad but I do some light work, browsing, movie watching, photo and video viewing and editing. I also keep my iPad for a long time (last one was six years). So I figured why not go for the best, and get something that will make viewing our HDR vacation videos and photos amazing. This display lives up to that and more. I’m also not seeing the grain, blurry text, or any of the other complaints I’ve read here. It looks great, at least as good as our LG C3 OLED TV at home, and better than my OLED iPhone. It’s just terrific.

 

[redman042]

The screen isn’t mind blowing. I bought the 11” and don’t get me wrong I love it. But the display isn’t game changing. It’s very good but I think it’s a little overhyped.

That entirely depends on what you do on it. I enjoy shooting HDR photos and videos. They look 100x more impressive on this M4 than they ever did on my 2018 Pro when the brightness is cranked to max. Same with Dolby Vision movies. There’s no comparison.

 

[pdoherty]

Here is a picture straight from iFixit‘s teardown video ... and the tandem OLED is indeed RGB. Case closed.

View attachment 2388548

Did you think by me saying the OLED didn't use symmetrical RGB that I meant it didn't have red, green and blue elements? Because your picture is confirmation of what I'm saying - look at the misshapen blue and green sub elements there!

 

[pdoherty]

I understand that, but in stores those models aren’t on display anymore. I’m there now.

Did you ask any of the store personnel? They have all the pre-existing models on hand, to trade as refurbs with customers who have issues.

 

[the future]

Did you think by me saying the OLED didn't use symmetrical RGB that I meant it didn't have red, green and blue elements? Because your picture is confirmation of what I'm saying - look at the misshapen blue and green sub elements there!

You are shifting the goalposts. There was talk that tandem OLED was RG BG (pentile), and it‘s clearly not. Also, „misshapen“ is hilarious, it is just a different RGB architecture. You claimed that text on the new Pros was „fuzzy“, and it is clearly, absolutely not. So just rest your non-existing case already.

 

[OSXphoto]

and this is the iPad mini 6:

 

[OSXphoto]

To wrap it up: When it comes to sharpness, to my eyes, I’m over 50 y/o and wearing high quality prescription glasses, the 2024 M4 ipad Pro’s and the 2024 M2 ipad airs look all very sharp to me at full brightness. I can’t say that type (text) is that much comfortable to read on the M4 pro than on the M2 air. When it comes to colours (viewing demo unit stock photos in the Photos app), the M4 pro is the clear winner.

I also compared watching a movie. The demo units have a mario bros trailer in the TV app. When viewing side by side (pro vs air) yes the pro is nicer, both for the colours as for the blacks. However, when I stop “comparing testing” and start “viewing”, my attention shifts to the video content itself and I quickly forget about the image quality.
I must say that the 2024 M2 iPad Air letterbox upper and lower bars are, though not 100% black, quite dark. worlds better than my old 2015 iPad Air 2 with A8X For sure.

As a once pro photographer and still ever so enthusiastic amateur photographer, the photo quality of the pro displays is very appealing and that is what may push me towards buying the pro. As a person that tries to maximise the life span of the gear I buy (i have and still daily use a 9 y/o iPad, an Apple Watch 3, 8 y/o dSLR and an old car) getting an expensive iPad now I can justify if it will serve me another 9 years.

 

[rkuo]

if you can't tell the difference between non oled and oled, then sure by all means, dont upgrade.

Coming from my 2018 ipad pro, the difference is night and day. Not everyone upgrades every year lol.

I had an iphone 12 mini before upgrading to 15pro last year. Difference was also night and day.

Upgrading from 14pro to 15pro is obviously going to be much less of a difference to people who want to do that. Then they come in here to complain about it, lol

I realize we're all going to value the differences differently, but the objective difference between these two displays is between a very good display and an excellent display, with particular strengths for OLED in certain scenarios. I don't personally consider it a night and day difference and I think a layman would have a hard time distinguishing these displays under normal viewing conditions without pixel peeping.

 

[jterp7]

I’m browsing this thread on my new M4 11” Pro that I just unboxed a couple hours ago. I have to agree with the OP. The display is as good as it gets. I upgraded from a 2018 11” Pro and what a huge upgrade this is. I debated the cost of going all the way to the M4 for a while. I don’t do heavy computing on the iPad but I do some light work, browsing, movie watching, photo and video viewing and editing. I also keep my iPad for a long time (last one was six years). So I figured why not go for the best, and get something that will make viewing our HDR vacation videos and photos amazing. This display lives up to that and more. I’m also not seeing the grain, blurry text, or any of the other complaints I’ve read here. It looks great, at least as good as our LG C3 OLED TV at home, and better than my OLED iPhone. It’s just terrific.

As a fellow lg oled owner this is more like the new G4 in the palm of your hand. The brightest i have is a C8