If you’ve been paying attention to iPad rumors over the past few years, you’ll have seen a lot of emphasis on OLED displays. Apple is said to be moving away from the current Liquid Retina panels on all iPads in the coming years, and for good reason.
But whatever benefits there are to switching to OLED, it’s not the upgrade I want to see on iPads in 2024. I’m not a particularly display-oriented person, so it’s no surprise that I’m not too thrilled about a transition to OLED on any device, let alone the iPad.
Instead, Apple should focus on adding MagSafe and wireless charging at last. It has been rumored several times, but so far nothing has materialized. And it’s about time that this changes.
I know the benefits of OLED, but I’m not thrilled with it.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
Display technology is constantly evolving for the better, and I’m not against that. Not only are the images getting better, but the actual size and weight of those displays is getting smaller to much more manageable levels, which is very important when it comes to tablets and phones.
Can you imagine if there was a CRT iPad? I once used a CRT TV as a chair and the actual screen was only about 32 inches. Using that technology in a tablet means it would be so bulky and unwieldy that it would defeat the purpose of its existence.
Compared to LCD panels, OLEDs have many advantages. Picture quality, in particular, is better, with better contrast, higher brightness, more colors, faster refresh rates, and a much wider range of viewing angles. Not to mention lower power consumption and a simpler, backlight-free design that allows for much thinner displays.
These are all good reasons to like OLED technology, but I honestly can’t imagine myself being enthusiastic about it. The opposite is true of some of my colleagues at Tom’s Guide, who think exactly the opposite. I’m not the kind of person who would consciously notice the benefits of OLED technology if I wasn’t deliberately looking for them.
I certainly didn’t notice the difference when I swapped my living room TV for my girlfriend’s 55-inch QLED smart TV. QLED and OLED are different, but in theory QLED should be an improvement over a regular LED/LCD display. Instead, I despise this damn TV with every fiber of my being and can’t wait for the day I have enough money to buy something better.
I’d happily accept an iPad with an OLED display if it’s available, but it’s not something I’m looking forward to.
MagSafe is a basic feature that iPads should already have
(Image credit: Belkin)
To me, it seems like adding MagSafe to the iPad is a no-brainer. In the past, I could perhaps understand some resistance to this option, because a tablet would look pretty ridiculous on a generic wireless charging pad, and most Qi phone stands probably wouldn’t be big enough to hold and charge devices over a certain size.
But we’ve had MagSafe on the iPhone for over three years now, and by its very nature, it’s a totally different device than regular Qi wireless charging. Mainly because of the magnets, which is probably why the Qi2 standard is so inspired by MagSafe’s design. Just snap a MagSafe charger onto the back of your iPad and it starts working.
But most importantly, the charger will stay in place regardless of the position of the tablet. I love those magnets, because it means wireless charging on an iPad would be much more practical. Not to mention the fact that it opens up space for a whole new range of stands and docks that an iPad could easily sit on.
Apple’s smart display becomes a reality
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That’s where one of the real advantages comes from, inspired by the Pixel Tablet. The Google Pixel Tablet is a full-fledged Android tablet that comes with a charging dock that turns it into a smart home display. An iPad could follow suit with a little help from StandBy mode, which was introduced as an iPhone-only feature in iOS 17.
Place the iPad in a MagSafe dock and standby mode can turn it into a smart home control hub from Apple. It’s something that Apple’s product line lacks and could add some additional functionality to iPads in the home. Or allow people to reuse their old tablets when they upgrade.
Of course, you don’t need MagSafe for standby to work, but it’s much more convenient to place your phone on a stand without having to plug it in afterwards. It also means you can pick up and move your iPad from room to room while still maintaining access to standby features. All you need is another charger or stand.
We’ve heard rumors about an Apple homepod with a 7-inch display that could be on the way. And even if that’s true, there’s no reason why these two options couldn’t co-exist. After all, there’s no shortage of Echo Show products, though Amazon’s Fire tablets have the ability to do something similar thanks to Show Mode.
Bottom line
I’m not saying that Apple should rule out OLED displays for the iPad. When a product is basically a screen in your hands, it makes sense for that screen to look as good as possible. However, I do wonder why it took Apple so long to do so, especially since OLED iPhones have been on sale for over 5 years.
But at the same time, every time I see news and rumors about an OLED iPad, all I can think is, “Eh, so what?” I’d be much more excited if Apple included MagSafe in its tablet lineup and all the benefits it could bring with it: more convenient charging and additional features for those who want it.
It wouldn’t be the most exciting upgrade in the world, but it’s something the iPad is sorely missing. And if Apple is going to fix its mistake by updating the iPad to OLED, it’s about time it fixed some of the other, fairly basic, omissions.
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