Your new OLED iPad Pro might have a matte display option

You only need to have taken a passive interest in the Apple rumor mill of late to know that the company is very much expected to unveil a pair of new iPad Pro tablets within the next few weeks. We expect the tablets to both sport OLED displays for the first time and come in 11- and 12.9-inch configurations, but it turns out that there might be another display tweak that has so far gone unnoticed.

That tweak, we're told, will be the option to choose a matte finish for the first time. It isn't yet clear whether that finish will be similar to the nano-texture finish on the Studio Display and Pro Display XDR, or if it will be little more than a screen protector. But this is the first that we've heard about it so it's possible there could be more leaks before we get to the final unveiling of these new high-end tablets.

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The claim comes via Instant Digital, a leaker that posts to the Chinese social network Weibo. According to them, the new matte display will be offered as an extra option to the more familiar glossy display rather than replace it. It supposedly also features a -04-degree to +29-degree of haze and may also have some kind of anti-blue-light component as well. If that's the case it could make it easier to use an iPad Pro in the evening and at night while lessening the impact of blue light on the eyes.

• Read more: Apple's next-gen iPad Pro should feature ultra-thin bezels, notch is being eliminated
• Read more: Apple's new M5 iPad Pro OLED displays from Samsung and LG enter mass production, ready for 2026
• Read more: Apple's new iPad Pro is powered by new M5 chip, joined by Apple's new C1X and N1 chips

Matte screen protectors have proven hugely popular for existing iPads of all shapes and sizes but specifically for the iPad Pro. The matte finish makes the iPad Pro feel much more natural when used with the Apple Pencil, giving the tablet a feel that is more akin to paper rather than the shiny glass that it is. The scratchy nature of the matte finish feels nicer when the Apple Pencil's tip glides across it and it's possible that could be the approach that Apple takes.

Beyond the display, the new iPad Pros are expected to sport the Apple-designed M3 chip while there is also the suggestion that the FaceTime camera will be moved to the side, away from the top of the device. That will make a big difference for people who join video calls while the iPad is in landscape orientation.

The new iPad Pros are expected to be unveiled towards the end of March or in April, while they aren't expected to be made available until next month regardless.