iPad Pro How does the new OLED iPADs compare against these old specs?

[Branaghan]

Since the 2024 iPADs use new tech for the display, I wanted to ask here about an old review, which caught my attention because it was probably the only one I read so far explaining how the screen fare against other devices in the market.

I want you to check this and then comment if the OLED iPAD is similar or inferior based on these explanations.

iPad Pro 9.7" Display Technology Shoot-Out

The article says, among other things:

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Record Low Screen Reflectance and Performance in Ambient Lighting

The screens on all displays are mirrors that reflect light from everything that is illuminated anywhere in front of the screen (especially anything behind the viewers), including lamps, ceiling lights, windows, direct and indirect indoor and outdoor sunlight, which washes out the on-screen colors, degrades image contrast, and interferes with seeing the on-screen images. The lower the Screen Reflectance the better. In fact, decreasing the Screen Reflectance by 50 percent doubles the effective Contrast Ratio in Ambient Light, so it is very important.

To visually compare the differences in screen Reflectance for yourself, hold any Tablets or Smartphones side-by-side and turn off the displays so you just see the reflections. Those reflections are still there when you turn them on, and the brighter the ambient light the brighter the reflections.

The iPad Pro 9.7 has a very innovative low Reflectance screen that reflects just 1.7 percent of the ambient light by using a new Anti-Reflection AR coating. It has by far the lowest screen Reflectance of any mobile display, so its image colors and contrast in high ambient light will appear considerably better than on any other mobile display. It’s a major enhancement that reduces the reflected light glare from the screen by a very impressive factor of 3 to 1 compared to most Tablets and Smartphones.

Our Contrast Rating for High Ambient Light quantitatively measures screen visibility under bright Ambient Light – the higher the better. As a result of its high Brightness and very low Reflectance, the iPad Pro 9.7 has a Contrast Rating for High Ambient Light of 301, by far the highest that we have ever measured. See the Screen Reflections and Brightness and Contrast sections for measurements and details.
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An anti-reflective coat is a layer applied to glasses to improve the vision, reduce glare, and eye strain, and improve the appearance. For electronic devices, I haven't seen the same in–depth explanation, not counting that link. The cheaper iPAD models are not as good as the Pros, but none of the comments on the new OLED displays did (so far) the same job as this old review.

 

[klasma]

Reflectance is mostly a question of the glass coating on the display, not of the display technology. I would assume that the AR coating on the OLED iPads is the same as on the LCD iPads, and certainly not worse.

 

[Bichon]

And if having an exceptionally low reflectivity screen on your iPad is more important than feeding your family or putting gas in your car 🤣, you can always splurge on the insanely expensive 1TB and 2TB pro models with the additional $100 price bump for the nano texture glass.

 

[Branaghan]

Interestingly, the new M4 OLED iPADs have two options for buyers:

What is Nano-Texture Glass Coating​

Glare is one of the most common problems in brightly lit homes and offices, which can turn beautiful and large displays into nothing more than huge mirrors. People often struggle with glare when using displays beside a large window, working in a room with bright lights, or using their devices outside on a bright day. Matte displays can combat this issue by having some kind of coating on the screen, but it also has some trade-offs. You’ll have to deal with muted tones and washed-out colors. This is where the nano-texture glass display makes a shiny entry.

Apple’s nano-texture glass display has a nice matte finish, but it’s not the same as other matte displays. Apple has taken everything to a whole new level by ditching a coating and physically altering the surface through nano (tiny) etchings. The nano-texture glass is actually etched at the nanometer scale to deliver the best picture quality and contrast while scattering ambient light to reduce glare. Yes, the nano-texture glass coatings don’t have any adverse effect on the onscreen display. Rather, they significantly improve the overall viewing experience.

Putting it simply, the nano-texture glass coating on the new iPad Pro has a clever design that can easily cope with bright sources and prevent any distractions.

Should You Get Nano-Texture Glass on Your iPad Pro​

The new nano-texture glass model is specially designed for pro users working in high-end, color-managed workflows or someone who works in challenging lighting conditions. Also, if you look at screens all day long and always crave a highly visible display, it’s worth going for an iPad Pro with nano-texture glass coating. It will offer the best viewing experience, whether you’re working on the go or sitting in a bright room with overhead lights.

On the flip side, if you’re a casual user who often works in pleasant lighting conditions and doesn’t face glare, the Standard glass option will work just fine for you. The Standard glass option available on the iPad Pro also has an anti-reflective coating that minimizes the amount of light reflected off the glass. That said, it’s still a traditional glass finish which tends to reflect light, no matter what you do.

Bear in mind, not all M4 iPad Pros offer a nano-texture glass coating. This option is only available on 1TB and 2TB variants.

How to Clean Nano-Texture Glass​

Apple recommends cleaning the Nano-texture glass display using a specific Apple cloth that comes right in the box. It strongly warns users not to use any other cloth for cleaning the nano-texture glass displays. Well, there’s no explanation, but Apple’s small piece of fabric seems to have some magical ingredients that make it special.

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Using a microfiber cloth specific for electronic devices is what I always did here, and that's why my Apple products last enough. I believe this cloth mentioned above will work the same. It's really not recommended to use any other fabric, because it can/will easily damage the screen, and not remove the stuff that sticks to it, with regular touching.

I can only assume getting the 256 or 512 GB models would be a bad idea, and the screen is likely to be similar to what we had with non-Pro iPAD models, not good enough in terms of reducing glare/eye fatigue, whatever they talked about in that 9.7 review.

Again, this needs to be evaluated in upcoming reviews, to determine if it's justified to pay more.

And if having an exceptionally low reflectivity screen on your iPad is more important than feeding your family or putting gas in your car 🤣, you can always splurge on the insanely expensive 1TB and 2TB pro models with the additional $100 price bump for the nano texture glass.

This is on the top of the list of what everyone should look for in any display. Or eyeglasses. If you spend enough time looking at them, for reading, watching videos, etc, you don't want to get cheaper techology. Take a look at "bias lighting", for example. This is how far people go to improve that experience.