Apple iPad Pro: What to expect
The 2024 iPad Pro is poised to be the flagship product, which is expected to take center stage at Apple’s “Let Loose” event. Anticipated to debut with substantial hardware enhancements, the 2024 iPad Pro model is expected to feature an OLED display flanked by slim bezels. Furthermore, there are reports that the iPad Pro 2024 will debut the M4 chip, superseding the current M3 chip, as the latest Apple silicon iteration. This new chip is said to incorporate an enhanced neural processing unit (NPU), which is said to enable on-device execution of AI models, thus positioning the iPad Pro 2024 as Apple's inaugural AI-capable device. In terms of design, the next-generation iPad Pro is anticipated to unveil a redesigned rectangular rear camera module, with the possibility of even positioning the front camera in a landscape orientation.
The first Apple event of 2024 is almost here. Set for May 7, the “Let loose” event is expected to focus entirely on the iPad. This should come as no surprise, considering the device was Apple’s only major product line to not receive any hardware updates in the entirety of 2023. iPad sales, as a result, keep dropping. But Apple is prepared to reverse that trend with its May 7 lineup.
Here is a roundup of everything you can expect to see when the event arrives.
‘Let loose’ event details
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Perhaps the most important detail to know is that the “Let loose” event will kick off earlier than Apple’s norm. Apple has set a morning start time across all US time zones, meaning it’s especially early in sunny California. The event will kick off at 7 am PT / 10 am ET on Tuesday, May 7. The duration is expected to only last about 35 minutes, shorter than most event videos but in line with last October’s Mac event.
As has become the new norm, this event will take the form of a pre-recorded video accessible via a variety of streaming sources, listed below:
YouTube
Apple’s own website
The Apple TV app on any platform
It’s unusual for Apple to share substantive hints about its product launches via the event invite, but this time they’ve done just that by including artwork featuring an Apple Pencil. As if the drought of new iPad models in the past year wasn’t enough, the “Let loose” invite provides strong confirmation of the product line that this event will center around.
Next-generation iPad Pro 12.9-inch and 11-inch models
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The biggest spotlight of the event is sure to be on the next-generation iPad Pro models that some of us have been waiting years for. The brand new 12.9-inch and 11-inch models will arrive following several years of more iterative updates for the iPad Pro lineup. All reports indicate that these 2024 models will provide a lot of reasons to spark excitement (and upgrades).
OLED displays
OLED displays are coming to the iPad for the first time. Both the 12.9-inch and 11-inch iPad Pro are expected to receive OLED technology, providing a host of benefits and bringing display feature parity to the Pro models that has been lacking since 2021, when the 12.9-inch model scored a mini-LED screen while the 11-inch kept LCD.
Utilizing OLED should provide improved brightness and significant boosts to contrast, including much darker black levels. Whether your iPad is used for creative work like video editing or illustration, or it’s largely a media consumption device, OLED should be a great improvement, especially on the smaller Pro.
Thinner hardware
Both iPads Pros are also expected to get thinner, with the larger model shrinking about 20% in thickness and the smaller model about 15%. These hardware changes will primarily result from the smaller components required of the OLED displays. It’s worth noting that a thinner body might mean less room for battery, but we would expect any battery hit to be offset by potential optimizations the OLED display will provide.
M3 or M4 chip
Whether Apple surprises everyone and debuts the M4 on the iPad first, or it does the more expected move and puts an M3 in these devices, either way the iPad Pro is getting a new and improved chip.
The age-old adage around iPad Pro chips is that they’re typically more powerful than what the device actually needs, particularly due to iPadOS’ more constrained capabilities compared to, say, the Mac. One of the benefits of this “problem,” though, is that it makes the iPad more future-proof than some other Apple products. Whether an M3 or M4 is added to the iPad Pro, the device should be set up for years of high performance use.
Front-facing camera on the landscape bezel
Following in the path of the base-model iPad, the iPad Pro is expected to finally move its front-facing camera to the long side of the bezel, making it centered in landscape orientation like all Mac cameras are. This small but valuable change is a long time coming, and will put an end to the video conferencing issue where iPad users always seem to be looking to the side, not at the person they’re speaking to.
Brand new keyboard and Pencil accessories
I’ll cover this in more detail below, but the iPad Pro is expected to receive a whole new slate of Pro-focused accessories to complement it. Get those wallets ready.
Price increase
Here’s a not-so-fun one: expectations are that both iPad Pro models will receive price increases this cycle. Reports are all over the place as to the range of these increases, but you should expect the current base prices to go up at least $100, and very possibly more. Combined with the need to buy a brand new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil, getting the complete iPad Pro package may prove very expensive this generation.
iPad Air 12.9-inch and 10.9-inch models
iPad Air
For the first time, the largest iPad screen will trickle down beyond the Pro line as a 12.9-inch iPad Air is introduced. This new form factor for the iPad Air represents the most significant enhancement the device is expected to receive. Just as there are two standard iPad Pro sizes, and even two base-model iPads, after May 7 iPad Air users will have two models to choose from themselves.
Though a report initially claimed the 12.9-inch iPad Air would feature the same mini-LED display technology found in the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro, that possibility was later dampened, and the display is now expected to utilize the same LCD technology found in previous Air models.
Beyond the addition of a new form factor, the iPad Air lineup is expected to follow the pattern of moving its front-facing camera to the landscape bezel, and it will likely adopt the M2 chip for a solid speed boost. We may see some new color options as well.
It’s worth noting that the iPad Air is not expected to gain support for the new Magic Keyboard, per Mark Gurman at Bloomberg. It’s unknown whether the Pencil 3 will be exclusive to the Pro line too.
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