In most respects, the iPad Pro lives up to its name and is one of the best tablets you can buy. And now, we’ve just got wind that it could be in line for a new feature that will make it even more “pro” than it already is.
If Chinese Weibo leaker Instant Digital is to believed, Apple is working on bringing a matte textured finish to future iPad Pro models (via MacRumors). This will apparently be offered in addition to the standard glossy surface that the iPad Pro has come with since it first launched.
According to the leak, the matte finish features -4° to +29° of haze – meaning it reflects a low amount of light back off its surface – and could block blue light to help protect your eyes. That could make it an ideal device if you’re sick of on-screen content being obscured by reflections.
It follows another report from Instant Digital, which claimed that the iPhone 17 might end up getting its own anti-reflective screen that would make it a lot easier to use in bright light. Instant Digital has a mixed track record for leak accuracy, but they have had some hits in the past, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for their reports.
Pro-level technology
Instant Digital didn’t confirm whether the iPad Pro’s rumored matte screens would be the same nano-texture glass used in Apple’s Studio Display and Pro Display XDR, but it certainly seems possible.
Apple has brought more and more pro-level features to its high-end iPad in recent years, including Apple silicon chips and Liquid Retina XDR displays, so getting something found in the company’s most advanced monitors does not seem out of the question.
How does Apple’s nano-texture glass work? Well, it’s not simply a matte surface applied to the glass – Apple has etched into the display’s glass, which causes light to scatter more effectively and not reflect straight back at the viewer.
The difficulty with that is the small etchings make the screen harder to clean, as there’s a greater surface area for dirt and grease to stick to. That’s one thing for a non-touchscreen monitor like the Pro Display XDR, but quite another for the iPad, which will be poked and prodded with your fingers all day long.
We could end up finding out how accurate Instant Digital’s leak is as soon as next week, as reports have claimed Apple will announce a new iPad Pro on March 26. Although those reports have since been contradicted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman on X (formerly Twitter), with the Apple reporter claiming they're "not true". Still, whenever we do see Apple's new tablet, it’s possible we’ll see it get a major display upgrade.
You might also like
