Next month is supposed to be iPad month, as Apple is expected to refresh its tablet lineup after going all of last year without a slight upgrade. The 2024 iPad Pro is expected to lead the charge, with new OLED panels – but what about the rest of the lineup?
Report from Macworld Shedding some light on this, the iPad Pro's move to OLED appears to have ripple effects. The article cites display analyst Ross Young's claim that the 2024 iPad Air will feature a MiniLED panel in the 12.9-inch version that joins the Air lineup — in other words, the same type of display found on the current 2022 iPad Pro.
In our review of the iPad AIR 2022, we found that the tablet “delivers sharp image quality on a relatively small screen.” We wish the screen was a little brighter, but overall it's very good.
The larger MiniLED display would put it on par with the current iPad Pro which offers rich colors and stark contrasts between dark and light elements on the screen. It would also improve energy consumption. Combined with rumors that the latest iPad Air will also get Apple's M3 chip, we're looking at some serious battery life upgrades between these two updates alone — not to mention excellent performance as we saw in our MacBook Air tests. 13 inch M3.
We already thought the iPad Air (2022) was the best iPad in the current lineup and the upgraded display could help the new version maintain that top spot.
It should be noted that Young did not mention pricing in his post. Currently, the iPad Air (2022) starts at $599 for the 64GB model and $749 for the 256GB version. A larger screen could mean a higher price for the tablet. We also don't know if Apple will keep the 10.9-inch version of the Air or just update the line to the 12.9-inch form factor.
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