New iPad Pros Support Lower Refresh Rate, But Lack Always-On Display

The new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models are equipped with OLED displays that support a refresh rate as low as 10Hz, but the devices still lack an always-on display option like the iPhone and Apple Watch have, according to Apple's tech specs.

While the iPad Pro has supported ProMotion since 2017, the device only supported refresh rates between 24Hz and 120Hz until now. The new iPad Pro models use low-power LTPO technology, according to display industry expert Ross Young, allowing the display to ramp down to 10Hz for static content. This change will contribute to lower power consumption, but advertised battery life is unchanged overall compared to the previous iPad Pro generation.

The same situation happened a few years ago with the iPhone 13 Pro models, which also support ProMotion down to 10Hz, but lack an always-on display option. The feature finally arrived on the iPhone with the iPhone 14 Pro models, which can ramp down to 1Hz, and Apple Watch models with an always-on display also reach 1Hz.

All in all, the iPad Pro is unlikely to get an always-on display option until if and when it too supports a 1Hz refresh rate.

Apple says the iPad Pro now features "state-of-the-art tandem OLED technology that uses two OLED panels and combines the light from both to provide phenomenal full-screen brightness." The new iPad Pro models can achieve up to 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness for SDR content, compared to 600 nits for the previous-generation models.

The new iPad Pro models are available to order starting today and launch on Wednesday, May 15.