Apple’s brand new iPad Pro 2024 now comes with an OLED display for the first time, and it has received plenty of critical acclaim, with our reviewer stating “as far as tablets go, you won’t get a better viewing experience.” But it hasn’t been without its problems, and in recent days a new problem has emerged. But it turns out that technically it’s not a defect at all.
As reported by MacRumorsthat iPad Pro users have taken advantage of Reddit and the MacRumors Forums to document an issue with their new tablets where the screen gives a pixelated appearance in certain situations. At this point, it’s hard to know how widespread the problem is and how Apple will respond to it, if at all.
According to reports, the iPad occasionally exhibits a grainy effect that is most pronounced in dark environments. It seems to occur more often when the iPad’s screen brightness is set to a low or medium level and when the content on the screen has gray or muted colors.
That means it only seems to happen in very specific circumstances. It’s reminiscent of another issue that was making the rounds a few days ago, back then I moreGerald Lynch noticed a shimmering effect when viewing dark blue tones on his iPad Pro, something Ny Breaking’s own Lance Ulanoff was able to replicate. It’s all negative press that Apple would undoubtedly have wanted to avoid.
Defect or oddity?
Despite initial appearances, it’s difficult to know whether the grainy effect is actually a defect or simply a result of the way OLED panels work. These displays have been known to produce these types of effects from time to time, and that could be happening here.
For example, the brightness of an OLED screen is controlled on a per-pixel basis, and this can lead to minor inconsistencies in screen brightness. Similar to this reported issue, this can manifest as graininess, especially in low light.
Similarly, the sub-pixels in OLED displays can vary in shape and size. This can cause various effects on the screen, including grainy textures.
Ultimately, it’s unclear what exactly is causing this problem, and an error may very well be to blame. Given the high-profile launch of the iPad Pro, we’re sure Apple is aware and investigating the issue. If it’s a real defect, the company will probably announce something in due course. But if it’s just one of the quirks of owning an OLED screen, iPad Pro users will probably have to live with it.