The OLED iPad Pro looks awesome, but it’s missing one thing that would make it perfect for me

Tom Parsons
·3 min read
2
A photo of someone playing a game on the new iPad Pro.
A photo of someone playing a game on the new iPad Pro.

Apple has just unveiled the new iPad Pro which, in a first for an Apple tablet, has an OLED display. Not just any OLED display, either, but a 'Tandem OLED' display that features two OLED panels sandwiched together for extra brightness. The company is claiming 1000 nits fullscreen brightness and 1600 nits peak brightness. Combined with the perfect blacks of OLED, that should make it an awesomely dynamic display.

Apple has a habit of producing superb screens, and there's every reason to believe this one will be its best yet. I just can't help thinking, as I have with many previous iPads, how cool it would be if the new Pro had an HDMI input into which I could connect a PS5 or Xbox Series X.

Yes, I can see that incredulous look on your face, and I'm not even going to pretend this isn't a niche wish. To most, the idea of partnering a portable screen with a decidedly not-portable console is pure madness, but I'm not looking at this as an on-the-go solution, but as a once-I-get-there solution.

I travel a lot for work, and there have been plenty of occasions when I've wished I could take advantage of the time to myself by whiling away a few hours on whichever epic game I don't have time for in everyday life (I've still not finished Baldur's Gate 3, if you're wondering). Sure, I could plug my console into the hotel TV, but I'm a graphics snob, and have you seen the state of hotel TVs these days?

The existing iPad Pro is already like having a flagship TV in your bag, and the addition of OLED should only elevate that further. It should offer something very similar to the Panasonic OLED TV experience I have at home, but obviously on a much smaller scale. The OLED tech should make it super-responsive, too, as should the 120Hz refresh rate. It is, in theory, the ultimate portable gaming monitor, but without an HDMI socket, there's no opportunity to take proper advantage.

Sure, the iPad now has so-called 'console-grade' games such as Resident Evil Village, and Assassin's Creed Mirage is on the way, but that's a drop in the ocean of the PS5 and Xbox Series X game libraries.

So why not stream games via the Xbox or PlayStation cloud gaming services? Did I not mention that I'm a graphics snob? Cloud gaming is much lower resolution than native console gaming. It's laggy and often juddery, too, even with a great connection, and have you seen the state of hotel wi-fi these days?

I want a premium gaming experience wherever I am, and I'm prepared to cart a full-fat console across the country to get it. I draw the line at carting along an OLED TV, too, so it's a massive shame (at least to this nerd) that Apple has never produced – and probably never will produce – an iPad with an HDMI input.

MORE:

Here's everything you need to know about the new iPad Pro

These are the best tablets you can buy right now

And these are the best OLED TVs