iPad Pro Major Update Delay: OLED Design to Stay for Years

• Leaks say the 2024 iPad Pro's look, with its OLED screen and super-thin body, is here to stay for a long time.
• Future versions will probably just get new chips, with the M6 likely showing up in late 2026 or 2027.
• Why the slowdown? The OLED screens cost a fortune, and the fancy 2024 model didn't sell as well as Apple hoped.

Here's a funny thing about the iPad Pro. For a decade, it's been the tablet that's never quite finished evolving, always promising some new reason to upgrade next year. But that story might be over. According to a pile of recent leaks, the 2024 model isn't just another step. It's the new plateau. Apple is reportedly settling in, planning to ride this design for years with only the occasional new processor to keep the spec sheet fresh. If you just bought one, that's great news. If you're waiting for the next big thing, you might want to get comfortable.

iPad Pro (2024 & Beyond) Key Specifications & Rumor Summary

Why This Design Is Sticking Around

Apple doesn't hit pause without a reason. The 2024 iPad Pro was the kind of overhaul that lets a company coast. They changed two things that actually matter: how it looks and how the screen works.

The Screen Is the Show

They finally gave it an OLED display. Not just any OLED, but a "tandem" setup. The result is what you'd expect: blacks that are actually black, contrast that makes HDR content pop, and a general leap in quality that makes the old mini-LED screen look dated. It's a pro feature that's tough to top. Once you've gone OLED, where do you go? Maybe brighter, but you can't really go back.

It Got Dangerously Thin

Then there's the body. Pick up the 13-inch model and it feels wrong, like a piece of tech this powerful shouldn't be this slight. That new thinness isn't a gimmick. It's a statement. It says this is the final form. But it's also a constraint. Packing future tech into that skinny frame is the new engineering puzzle, which explains the chatter about adding vapor chamber cooling down the line just to keep things from getting too hot.

The New Upgrade Treadmill: Just the Chip

So if the outside isn't changing, the inside becomes the whole conversation. The 2024 model launched with the M4 chip. The latest ones have the M5. And the leaks point to a pretty boring schedule: slot in the M6 chip around late 2026 or 2027, then repeat.

Sound familiar? It should. It's the Mac playbook. Once the hardware is good enough, you just refresh the engine. For most people checking email or watching videos, an M6 over an M4 won't feel any different. The real users who'll notice are the ones editing 8K video or working with massive 3D files. For everyone else, it means your iPad won't feel obsolete the second a new one launches. That's a win, even if it's a boring one.

The Real Reasons for the Slowdown

Why would Apple pump the brakes? The leaks point to a simple, two-part business reality.

First, those gorgeous OLED screens are expensive. Like, really expensive. Apple made a huge bet on its supply chain for the 2024 model. To make that money back, they need to sell this same basic design for a while. It's basic economics.

Second, and this is the killer, the 2024 redesign didn't move the needle like Apple wanted. Sales were apparently softer than expected. That tells you the market is saturated. People are holding onto their M1 and M2 iPad Pros for three, four, even five years because they're still perfectly good. When your customers are that happy, you lose the leverage to force them into a new $1,200 tablet every other year.

No One Is Making Apple Move Faster

Let's be honest. The iPad Pro has no real competition. Nothing else combines this level of chip performance, display quality, and accessory support. Samsung's tablets are nice, but they don't have Apple's silicon. Windows tablets are powerful, but they lack the polish. Apple owns the high-end tablet mountain, and when you're alone at the top, you get to decide when to climb again. There's no rival launching a thinner, brighter, faster tablet next month to light a fire under them.

What "New" Might Actually Mean

Don't expect total stagnation. The most plausible tweak is that vapor chamber cooling system. It'd be a behind-the-scenes upgrade to let the chip run full-tilt longer without slowing down. Think of it as unlocking performance that's already there but thermally limited. Beyond that, we might see better video call cameras, a new color, or slight battery bumps from more efficient chips. But the soul of the device, that screen and that silhouette, is locked in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I wait for the next iPad Pro redesign?

If you're waiting for a totally new look, you could be waiting until 2028. The current model is your best bet for a long time.

Is my current M1 or M2 iPad Pro now obsolete?

Not even close. It's still wildly powerful. This news means your device just got a longer useful life.

Will the iPad Air or base iPad get updates instead?

Almost certainly. The Air will probably get hand-me-down Pro features like OLED in a year or two. The cheaper models will be where you see more noticeable changes.

What about software? Will my iPad Pro still get updates?

Yes. With hardware on cruise control, Apple will push iPadOS harder to give you new things to do. Software support will last for years.

The Takeaway

This isn't a pause in innovation. It's a declaration that the iPad Pro, as a physical object, might be finished. The quest for the perfect screen and the perfect form might have found its answers. What comes next isn't a new shape, but a long, slow grind of internal upgrades and software tweaks to justify the price tag. The era of the exciting iPad Pro launch could be over. Welcome to the era of the very, very good iPad Pro that you replace when it finally dies.

Sources

• gsmarena.com
• phandroid.com
• appleinsider.com
• tomsguide.com
• macrumors.com
• reddit.com