Despite the fact Apple only released a new iPad Pro in March, there have been plenty of rumors of a new model with a Mini-LED display in the works. And according to a new leak, we may not have very long to wait for it.
This information comes from Korea’s ETNews, which reports LG is set to supply Apple with the Mini-LED displays it needs for the new iPad Pro, set to go into mass production by the end of the year. That should make it ready for launch in early 2021, about a year after the launch of the latest iPad Pro iteration.
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For those that don’t know, Mini-LEDs offer a massive improvement over existing LCD and OLED displays we typically see in phones. It’s made up of small clusters of LEDs that use less power than a conventional LCD display, while offering better colors and contrast compared to OLED displays -- as well as a reduced risk of the burn in that can affect OLEDs after long periods of use.
According to well known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors), adopting the Mini-LED display in the iPad Pro is just the first step towards mass-adoption of Mini-LED technology. At the moment the tech is little-used, and expensive as a result. But since the iPad Pro is known for its high cost and premium feature-set, it’s the perfect opportunity to introduce the new displays.
According to Kuo, once that happens you’re likely to see a rush of companies trying to compete to supply future displays. That could bring the cost of Mini-LED displays down and allow them to be implemented in other devices.
Most notably Kuo predicts that by the end of next year we’ll see at least six Macs and iPads with Mini-LED displays. Eventually, with enough time and price drops, we could even see them on iPhones, and maybe even Apple Watches. Probably not the iPhone 13, if Kuo’s predictions are correct, but possibly the iPhone 14 and beyond.
Other rumors suggest that this Mini-LED iPad will have a 12.9-inch display, 5G, and an A14x chip. In other words it’s gearing up to be quite a machine, especially if it also includes the LiDAR scanner introduced back in March.
