Although the iPad Pro may have become thinner over the years, one thing has not changed much since its last overhaul: glasses. Although they are not exactly large, the glasses have essentially remained the same since Apple dropped the home button in 2018. But that could change – recent reports indicate that Apple is working on the implementation of iPad Pro display technology which could cause thinner glasses and an even smaller imprint.
ELEC reports that Apple envisages the LX SEMICON IC (DDI) display pilot which uses the LG Innovtek chip on film (COF). The COF ties the DDI to display the heat compression panels on the film, which provides DDI data to the display panel. This implementation allows stricter hardware integration, which could then allow smaller glasses and a much larger screen public without having to enlarge the iPad itself.
The current iPad Pro uses the DDI of the Samsung System LSI. Elec notes that LX SEMICON is experiencing increased competition and that Apple works to diversify its supply chain, so LX SEMICON can be very accommodating for this agreement to work.
The report does not clarify when this new technology will be implemented in the iPad Pro. The current iPad Pro M4 was published in May 2024, and the reports said that the next iPad Pro could be available at the end of this year or at the beginning of 2026. So, if Apple wants to implement this new DDI for the coming cycle, it must therefore make a decision on this subject in 2026.
