OLED iPad Pro’s nano-texture glass upgrade costs a lot more than you think

Wow, Apple flew through that event! In just 40 minutes, they unveiled a bunch of new stuff, including the iPad Air 6, the long-awaited OLED iPad Pro, the speedy M4 chip, and even some fresh iPad accessories. It felt like they were confirming every rumor swirling around beforehand. Not that I follow these things religiously (wink wink), but let's just say I'm very interested in that new OLED iPad Pro.

For my own needs, the OLED screen, the powerful M4 chip, and the super slim design all sound fantastic. The price isn't too shabby either, with the 11-inch version I'm eyeing starting at $999 for 256GB. Now I'm just waiting to see what iPadOS 18 offers - will it finally make the iPad Pro a true laptop replacement?

Speaking of the iPad Pro, there was one rumor I was really hoping for, and Apple delivered! They finally gave the high-end iPad a special anti-glare glass option. It's called nano-texture glass, and the iPad Pro is the first Apple device (besides the Studio Display) to get it. There's a catch though: you can only get it on the pricier models, the ones with 1TB or 2TB of storage. That means shelling out an extra $100 on top of the already hefty price tag.

So, what is nano-texture glass exactly? Here’s how Apple describes it:

For pro users working in high-end, color-managed workflows or challenging lighting conditions, a new nano-texture glass option comes to iPad Pro for the first time. Nano-texture glass is precisely etched at a nanometer scale, maintaining image quality and contrast while scattering ambient light for reduced glare.

Look, I'm not editing photos or using my devices in crazy lighting conditions, but I gotta say, I really like what TCL is doing with their NXTPAPER displays on some of their phones and tablets. It's kind of like that nano-texture glass Apple uses on their iPhones - it cuts down on glare a bunch, making everything on the screen way easier to see. This is especially true for the TCL NXTPAPER tablets - the bigger the screen, the more annoying glare becomes, and NXTPAPER really helps.

Now, I'm not saying it's exactly the same as Apple's fancy new tech. After all, Apple calls their iPad Pro screens the "world's most advanced," so there's probably a difference. But for everyday use, NXTPAPER seems pretty darn good! 

With its breakthrough tandem OLED technology, extreme brightness, incredibly precise contrast, brilliant colors, and nano-texture glass option, the new Ultra Retina XDR display is the world’s most advanced display, giving iPad Pro customers an unparalleled viewing experience.

Ugh, the nano-texture upgrade sounds amazing for my eyes. Staring at screens all day kills them, and the glare is the worst. But the only way to get it on the new 11-inch iPad Pro is with the super expensive 1TB or 2TB models, which are already $1,599 and $1,999! Then they hit you with another $100 just for the upgraded glass. So that's either $1,699 or a whopping $2,000. Yikes! 

While I'm tempted by the upgrade to the new nano-textured glass on the iPad Pro, it seems the cost goes beyond a simple $100. For the 13-inch model, the upgrade bumps the price from $999 to either $1,999 or $2,399 depending on storage. That extra hundred seems hidden in those higher price tags.

Here's another wrinkle: the pricier 1TB and 2TB models also come with a slightly better M4 chip, the 10-core version Apple mentioned. The base models get a 9-core M4, which is still powerful, but it's a factor to consider.

So, is the fancy glass worth it? Honestly, if the iPad Pro could truly replace my MacBook, the extra storage and slightly better chip would be tempting. But I'll have to wait and see what iPadOS 18 brings before making that call.

On the other hand, for the price of the 1TB iPad Pro with the nano-textured glass ($700 extra), I could get the cellular version ($200), the new Magic Keyboard ($299), and the Apple Pencil Pro ($129) – a whole productivity package!