Next Apple iPad Pro to have ultra-thin display edges
The next Apple iPad Pro models could have even thinner display bezels. In a post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, tipster Instant Digital claimed that the bezels of future Apple iPad Pro models could be as thin as those of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, although the iPad Pro will not have a notch, according to the account.
Instant Digital has more than 1.4 million followers on Weibo and has previously shared accurate Apple information, such as the new yellow versions of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, as well as the Titanium Milanese Loop of the Apple Watch Ultra 2. As with most sources, there are both positive and negative aspects.
Apple iPad Pro could use LG’s Chip-on-Film (CoF) technology
Apple is considering using LG Innotek’s Chip-on-Film (CoF) technology for future iPad Pro OLED displays. This technology could enable narrower bezels and more compact designs without compromising screen size. The Korean magazine The Elec reports that Apple is expected to approve or reject LX Semicon’s display driver IC later this month.
This driver would work with LG Innotek’s CoF technology. With CoF technology, display driver chips are bonded to the displays using heat compression on a flexible film and send signals to control individual pixels via thin-film transistors.
The combination enables tighter display integration along the display edges, reducing visible bezels and creating more screen space within the same device size. The combination could also enable more energy-efficient signal processing, which would translate into longer battery life.
The Apple iPad Pro has been using OLED displays since last year, as well as Samsung System LSI for display driver ICs. A switch to LG would also diversify Apple’s supply chain while reducing component costs through increased competition.
The report does not specify which iPad model the components are intended for. However, a second source also reports that LX Semicon’s entry into Apple’s supply chain is related to the iPad Pro.
The bezels of the latest Apple iPad Pro models with the M4 chip are already slightly thinner compared to the previous generation models with the M2 chip. However, these bezels are expected to be significantly narrower in the next iPad Pro models. However, Instant Digital qualified its statement, saying that the ultra-thin bezels might not be ready in time for the next iPad Pro models.
Last year, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple iPad Pro models with the M5 chip would enter mass production in the second half of 2025. The current iPad Pro models with the M4 chip launched in May 2024, and Apple typically updates the iPad Pro in a roughly 18-month cycle. The next models could therefore be released in September or October of this year.
Future models could also feature landscape Apple logos and Apple-designed 5G modems by 2027. A foldable 18.8-inch iPad Pro could be released as early as 2027.
