ETNews offers additional information on what we can look forward to from the iPad line in 2024 and beyond. Let’s look at what they report:

OLED displays for iPad Mini and iPad Air in 2026:

If this report is true, then Apple won’t be keeping OLED as a Pro differentiator for too terribly long, which is great. iPads, more than any other computer, are defined by their display. Each model should offer the best screen available, but this is an area where Apple chooses to differentiate the product line. The article notes that it will be 2027 before the rumored 12.9 inch iPad Air gets updated to an OLED display.

iPad Mini grows to 8.7 inches:

It’s kind of crazy to think that 8.7 inches would still be considered “mini”, but with the future discontinuation of the 10.2 inch standard iPad, this mini would still be significantly smaller than the rest of the lineup. I wonder how much Apple will need to change the body to accommodate the larger display. The current iPad Mini size is near perfect, and its not clear if shrinking the bezels alone would get you from 8.3 inches to 8.7 inches. It would be a shame if the device actually gets bigger. It just barely fits in my coat pocket as it is.

iPad Pro to use LTPO:

LTPO (low temperature polycrystalline oxide) displays are not new to the Apple device ecosystem. Its characteristics allow for the screen to more efficiently support a variable refresh rate. This has been cited as the primary technology that enables the always-on display feature of both the Apple Watch and iPhone Pro devices. Its not a given that iPad Pro gets an always on display, but I think chances are good. An OLED iPad + some kind of dock or stand + Standby on iOS 17 would be very enticing proposition.

iPad Air and Mini stay at 60 hz:

Not explicitly called out in this article, but reported elsewhere, is that Promotion displays will remain Pro only for the foreseeable future. This is incredibly disappointing. Smartphones that are cheaper than the base iPad can have at least a 90 hz display panel. Maybe at some point the “Pro” devices will get updated to “Promotion+” and support a higher than 120 hz refresh rate. Then the lowly non-Pro devices can get in on the high refresh rate fun. I continue to hope that one day we get an iPad Mini with an OLED display, Promotion, and an M-Series chip. It’ll never happen, but I can dream…..