Why the new iPad Pro’s OLED screen doesn’t support always-on functionality

It is a fact. Despite having a built-in LED panel, the recently announced iPad Pro with the M4 chip does not support an always-on display. always on. A popular feature available for iPhone 14 Pro and above or Apple Watch Series 5 users. allows you to turn your device into a screen reasonableto display information, notifications and widgets in a horizontal position on a support. And this without consuming too much battery. In addition, the function is highly customizable. So why isn’t it in the new one? pills

although they would be an ideal device to implement such functionality?

Why doesn’t iPad Pro support this feature? always on

The reason has to do with the OLED panel found on the latest 11-inch or 13-inch iPad Pro models. Actually the screen It is only capable of adjusting the refresh rate to 10 or 120 Hz.which means that cooling rate could drop to a minimum of 10 screen updates per second, which is a far cry from the 1Hz (i.e. one per second) that the latest iPhone Pro models can achieve. Judging by the leaks, Apple would definitely set the screen requirements. always on at 1Hz to significantly reduce power consumption and make this feature more meaningful. So, on paper there’s nothing to stop an OLED screen from supporting this feature even at 10Hz, but it’s a counter-current choice on the company’s part. Something may change with the next iPadO 18 update

who can open the door to always onpossible if the iPad is plugged into a power outlet.

Enabling this feature would be great news: pills They are already smart displays in their own right, so this would be a very useful feature, perhaps if placed on a stand and left on a desk, nightstand, or used as a secondary display next to a computer. Another detail that made people look away from the new iPad Pro with M4, which is very powerful and very thin, is the fact that it is not compatible with the second generation Apple Pencil, but only with the new models.

Article originally published in WIRED Italia. Adapted by Mauricio Serfati Godoy.