Buying an 11-inch OLED iPad Pro could be easier said than done, at least initially

Apple is very much expected to update the iPad Pro lineup of tablets within the next few weeks with upgraded OLED displays as one of the biggest additions. The iPad Pro will of course come in two sizes with an 11-inch model and a 12.9-inch version offering plenty of flexibility, but those who want to buy the smaller of the two might find it harder to pick up than the larger one.

That's according to a new report by 9to5Mac based on a post on the X social network by Ross Young, a display history with a strong track record in terms of sharing details about Apple's upcoming plans. According to the analyst and his DSCC firm, Apple has found it difficult to choose which OLED suppliers to use with LG Display and Samsung Display involved.

It was thought that Samsung Display would be the only company responsible for producing the OLED panels that would be used in the 11-inch iPad Pro but that now seems to have changed with LG Display also involved in production. However, it also appears that the production of the 11-inch OLED displays now lag behind that of the larger 12.9-inch version as a result and that could mean that there will be fewer iPad Pro models of that size available on launch day.

However, it's important to note that the situation could be ironed out more and more the closer we get to an expected release date. It's looking increasingly likely that Apple will announce the iPad Pros towards the end of March with March 26 being one recently rumored possibility. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes that Apple won't have the required iPadOS 17.4 software update ready to go until April, suggesting there could be a slight delay between announcement and availability. It's also possible that the launch timeline or the availability window could be wrong, so all eyes will be on Apple to see what happens.

In terms of upgrades, the new OLED panel is one of the biggest that buyers new iPad Pro buyers can expect. Alongside that, Apple is expected to give the new tablet an upgraded chip, moving from the M2 to the M3 for the first time. Such a move would make the new iPad Pro the fastest Apple tablet to date and, quite possibly, the fastest tablet on the market at the time. Other potential upgrades include the movement of the FaceTime camera from the top of the device to the side for improved visuals when using the iPad Pro in landscape mode.