IPad Pro 2023 leaks

A next-generation iPad Pro may be a year or years away, but its rumored features based on supposed leaks are quite enticing.

The new iPad Pro would reportedly run on an industry-first three-nanometer processor from TSMC, apart from carrying breathtaking OLED displays with a larger size.

Apple Rumored to Be Setting Stage for 3-nm Chips on iPads

According to a report from Nikkei Asia, Apple is testing processor designs using the 3-nm production process from the Taiwan-based chipmaker. It further claimed that TSMC will be able to provide the 3-nm chip to Apple by the second half of 2022, which means the processor would run the iPad release by October of that year, if it would strictly follow its regular timetable.

This advanced chip is expected to be seen in an iPad Pro, supposedly, or possibly an iPad Air, according to Forbes.

TSMC has indicated that 3-nm chip technology improves performance by 10 percent to 15 percent, compared to today's most advanced 5-nm chip which will power the iPhone 13. In addition, power consumption would decrease by 25 percent to 30 percent. This steep drop in power use is certainly a top draw for the processor.

Read Also: 2021 iPad Pro Release Date, Specs and Apple Updates: Limited Stocks Likely Due to Chip Shortage 

Interestingly, the 3nm chip won't run the iPhone release by 2022, presumably the iPhone 14. The Nikkei Asia report said the 2022 iPhones will use chips produced using 4nm technology, which is faster than this year's iPhone 13 yet could not compare with the planned iPad 3-nm core processor.

This is unlike the predecessor 5nm A15 chip that both the iPad Air 4th Generation and the iPhone 12 used and released almost simultaneously. Further, the iPhone would only carry this 3nm chip by its 2023 line, if the report is correct.

Forbes suspects a manufacturing shortfall in providing 3nm chips to supply the bigger production volumes of the iPhone as the reason behind this move.

iPad Reportedly to Gain OLED Screens, Larger 14- to 16-inch Sizes

Other rumors reveal that the iPad and iPad Pro lines will gain OLED screens by the 2022 or 2023 versions. These rumors swirled in recent months, including those that came from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who claimed that a mid-range iPad Air will carry an OLED display by next year.

A report from The Elec said that Apple will utilize different OLED structures for the 2022 models compared to the succeeding year's releases. The iPad Air will offer a rigid OLED with thin-film encapsulation technology that stacks organic and inorganic elements in various layers to protect the panel. Meanwhile, new iPad Pro models will get a flexible OLED that would accommodate internally curved display components and thinner screen bezel.

There are also rumors circulating that the upcoming iPad models will come in larger sizes, bigger than the current largest model, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in a report on GSM Arena, Apple engineers and designers are looking at producing 14-inch and 16-inch iPads, but not in the immediate future. But seeing them in the 2022 or 2023 iPad lineups won't be far-fetched.

Related Article: iPad Pro 2021 Specs, Features and More: Where and How to Buy the Latest Apple Tablet

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According to multiple reports, Apple is targeting a 2023 release for next-generation iPad Pro tablets. With an OLED refresh due in 2024, next year will be when Apple introduces the iPad Pro 14.1, another Mini LED-touting tablet that will join new iPad Pro 11 and iPad Pro 12.9 models.

Rumours of a larger iPad Pro are beginning to take shape up, less than 48 hours after @MajinBuOfficial first tweeted about them. As we discussed yesterday, the leaker claimed that Apple planned to release a 14.1-inch iPad Pro this year, with the model considered as an addition to the existing iPad Pro series, rather than as a replacement for the 11-inch or 12.9-inch SKUs. @MajinBuOfficial added that the iPad Pro 14.1 would feature the Apple M2 as well, a logical upgrade from the Apple M1 in the current iPad Pro 11 and iPad Pro 12.9.

Subsequently, Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) has clarified what to expect from a refreshed iPad Pro series and when it will arrive. Writing on Twitter, Young claims that Apple will equip the iPad Pro 14.1 with a Mini LED display, technology that it already uses in the current iPad Pro 12.9, as well as the MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16. Unfortunately, Young has not clarified how many dimming zones the 14.1-inch display has, although he adds that it should support ProMotion, which presumably still tops out at a 120 Hz refresh rate.

Incidentally, Young has not clarified what display technology will power the 4th generation iPad Pro 11 and 6th generation iPad Pro 12.9. However, he states that Apple will equip both SKUs with OLED panels by 2024, with the iPad Pro 14.1 maintaining a Mini LED panel.

According to Mark Gurman, the iPad Pro 14.1 will be about as large as the MacBook Pro 14, which measures 312.6 x 221.2 mm. Presumably, the iPad Pro 14.1 will be much thinner than the MacBook Pro 14 though, which is 15.5 mm thick. Unfortunately, both Gurman and Young think that the iPad Pro 14.1 will not arrive until early 2023. Potentially then, Apple will continue to sell Apple M1-powered iPad Pros throughout 2022 and the early months of next year.

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Alex Alderson - Senior Tech Writer - 6741 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018

Prior to writing and translating for Notebookcheck, I worked for various companies including Apple and Neowin. I have a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds, which I have since converted to a Law Degree. Happy to chat on Twitter or Notebookchat.

Alex Alderson, 2022-06-10 (Update: 2022-06-10)

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