According to Apple’s tech specs, the new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models include OLED screens with refresh rates as low as 10Hz, although they lack an always-on display option like the iPhone and Apple Watch.
While the iPad Pro has supported ProMotion since 2017, it has only supported refresh rates ranging from 24Hz to 120Hz until today. According to display industry analyst Ross Young, the latest iPad Pro models employ low-power LTPO technology, which allows the display to ramp down to 10Hz for static content. This modification will help to reduce power consumption, although the promised battery life remains similar to that of the previous iPad Pro model.
A similar problem occurred a few years ago with the iPhone 13 Pro models, enabling ProMotion at 10Hz but lacking an always-on display option. The functionality made its way to the iPhone with the iPhone 14 Pro models, which can slow down to 1Hz, while Apple Watch models with an always-on display can also achieve 1Hz.
The iPad Pro will likely acquire an always-on display if it also supports a 1Hz refresh rate.
Apple claims the iPad Pro now includes “state-of-the-art tandem OLED technology, which employs two OLED panels and mixes the light from both to achieve amazing full-screen brightness.” The latest iPad Pro models can attain full-screen brightness of up to 1,000 nits for SDR material, up from 600 nits in prior generations.
The new iPad Pro models are available for pre-order beginning today and will be available on Wednesday, May 15.