Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

The iPad Pro’s display might be unlike anything available on the market

Published Mar 5th, 2015 3:24PM EST
12.9-inch iPad Pro Display Specs
Image: Apple Inc.

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

A plethora of 12.9-inch iPad Pro reports have hit the web in recent days, including reports that Apple has postponed the launch of the device in part because it’s working to fit the larger iPad with a full-sized USB port. That wouldn’t be the only new feature the larger iPad might offer, as Digitimes has learned more details about a different iPad component Apple plans to change — its display.

FROM EARLIER: 12.9-inch iPad Pro production reportedly pushed back to September

According to the publication’s sources, the company is currently seeking IGZO displays for the 12.9-inch iPad. IGZO, short for indium gallium zinc oxide, could be a very important display technology for the iPad Pro, as such screens can offer improved power efficiency. Improved power efficiency will be a must-have asset for a larger 12.9-inch display that would otherwise consume significantly more resources than the iPad Air and iPad mini’s screens.

This isn’t even the first time the company has been rumored to consider such displays for its products, as older reports have suggested that IGZO technology will be used for Apple’s first actual TV set. However, IGZO displays are also more expensive than the regular LCD screens that have been used so far in iPads.

Digitimes says that three companies including Sharp, LG Display and Samsung Display have sent samples to Apple, though Sharp is the favorite considering its progress with IGZO screens. LG is apparently in second place, as Apple wants to make sure it has access to enough supplies.

Apple is supposed to choose suppliers soon, and limited production is slated for around May, with mass-production supposedly beginning in July and August.

Sharp last year shipped an Android smartphone of its own that actually packs an IGZO display, the AQUOS Crystal that has an amazing 5-inch Full HD edge-to-edge display.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.