The upcoming OLED iPad Pro could be just 5mm thin

Apple’s next iPad Pro should adopt OLED display panels, significantly reducing thickness for both 11 and 12.9-inch models.

11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro laid flat on a desk with screens facing up — 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro | Image: Daniel Romero/Unsplash

The next iPad Pro is rumored to use OLED panels. Because OLED technology doesn’t require a backlight like the traditional LCD that the iPad Pro uses, the device should be a bit thinner than the current iPad Pro models.

Leaked CAD drawings suggest that the upcoming OLED iPad Pros will have a thinner profile, with the 12.9-inch model being over 1mm thinner.

OLED iPad Pros should be even thinner

MacRumors published the leaked CAD drawings, which appear to look legitimate. Assuming they’re accurate, the upcoming 11-inch OLED iPad Pro should be 0.8mm thinner, going from 5.9mm down to 5.1mm.

As for the bigger, already-impossibly-thin 12.9-inch model, the CADs suggest its thickness will decrease significantly by 1.4mm, from 6.4mm down to 5.0mm.

Previously leaked dimensions confirmed that the upcoming OLED iPad Pro models will be significantly thinner than the current versions. The larger ‌iPad Pro‌, for example, will be over 1mm thinner.

The upcoming 11-inch OLED iPad Pro should be a bit taller (249.7mm versus 247.6mm) and a tad narrower (177.5mm versus 178.5mm) in the portrait orientation.

As for the 12.9-inch OLED iPad Pro, it should be a bit taller (281.5mm versus 280.6mm) and wider (215.5mm versus 214.9mm) than the current model.

New Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard, too

Closeup showcasing the end of Apple Pencil with branding, with a blurred iPad Pro in the background — The next Apple Pencil might be trackable via Find My | Image: Daniel Korpai/Unsplash

The only Apple devices that incorporate OLED panels are iPhone and Apple Watch. Aside from a thinner display assembly, other OLED benefits include deeper blacks, more vibrant colors, enhanced HDR, increased contrast and higher resolutions.

The upcoming iPad Pros should be powered by Apple’s latest M3 chip. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple will offer a redesigned Magic Keyboard featuring a larger trackpad to make the device look even more like a laptop than the current setup. The current Magic Keyboard debuted in 2020.

There also seems to be an improved Apple Pencil in the works. Code strings unearthed from iOS 17.4 indicate it could have Ultra Wideband technology so you could track your lost stylus using the Find My app.