Enhanced iPad Pro Models Feature Lower Refresh Rate, However, Always-On Display Absent
According to Apple's tech specs, the new 11-inch and 13-inch
iPad Pro models have OLED displays with a refresh rate as low as 10Hz, but they
still don't have an always-on display option like the iPhone and Apple Watch
do.
Although the iPad Pro has supported ProMotion since 2017, up until this point, the device was limited to refresh rates of 24Hz to 120Hz. Display industry analyst Ross Young claims that the latest iPad Pro models employ low-power LTPO technology, which enables the display to ramp down to 10Hz for static content. Although this modification will help reduce power usage, the promised battery life is essentially the same as it was for the prior iPad Pro model.
A few years ago, the same thing happened with the iPhone 13
Pro models, which do not have an always-on display option but do support
ProMotion down to 10Hz. The iPhone 14 Pro variants, which have the ability to
ramp down to 1Hz, are the ones that brought this functionality to the device in
the end. Apple Watch models that have an always-on display can also achieve
1Hz.
In summary, an always-on display option for the iPad Pro is unlikely to come
about until it too supports a 1Hz refresh rate.
The iPad Pro is now equipped with "state-of-the-art
tandem OLED technology that uses two OLED panels and combines the light from
both to provide phenomenal full-screen brightness." The full-screen
brightness of SDR content on the new iPad Pro models can reach up to 1,000
nits, while the previous generation iPads could only manage 600 nits.
Starting today, customers can place orders for the new iPad Pro models, which
will go on sale on Wednesday, May 15.