TF Securities tech analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the tech giant will not launch any product with a mini-LED display this year, including the next-generation 11-inch iPad Pro.
In 2021, Apple introduced mini-LED displays in the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro and 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with 120Hz ProMotion tech. And the subsequent reports claimed in 2022, the tech giant will extend the advanced display technology to the upcoming 27-inch iMac Pro with Apple Silicon and 11-inch iPad Pro.
Apple might not introduce a mini-LED display in the new 11-inch iPad Pro because of cost concerns
The mini-LED display tech uses miniaturized backlighting and can be equipped with more than a thousand full-array local dimming (FALD) zones to deliver higher contrast ratio and brightness, deeper blacks, and better power efficiency. In comparison to OLED display, the mini-LED is less prone to burn-in and does not degrade over time.
But mini-LED display panels are not an industry standard and are more expensive than LED and LCD panels. According to Kuo, the cost of the mini-LED panels is the reason for the tech giant to skip the adoption of the display tech this year.
Earlier, Kuo wrote that Apple will not launch new devices with mini-LED displays in 2022 because of cost concerns and his latest tweet reiterates that claim.
More precisely, there may be no new products with the new mini-LED display size in 2022. https://t.co/5OQHTTHIb7
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 16, 2022
However, display analyst Ross Young disagrees with Kuo and claims that Apple will launch a new 27-inch “Studio Display Pro” with a mini-LED display in June this year but corroborates that Apple will not launch 11-inch with mini-LED in 2022.
Apple is taking share with just a single product for the rest of this year in this category. While it was previously thought that Apple would also introduce MiniLEDs to the 11” iPad Pro, we no longer believe that is the case, at least not this year. Apple is reportedly targeting its MiniLEDs on larger and more expensive displays.
We do expect Apple to introduce MiniLEDs on a 27” monitor, which could be launched in June with its Mac Pro. We believe the 27” MiniLED monitor will have 5K resolution and an oxide backplane. It may adopt 120Hz as well, but 5K at 120Hz would require HDMI 2.1 and would limit the number of Apple devices that would work with this display.
Furthermore, Young also said that Apple might introduce OLED displays in 12.9-inch and 11-inch Pad Pro models this year.
According to the analyst, the Cupertino tech giant could make the upgrade for both iPad Pro models rather than the lineup which features mini-LED for the 12.9-inch model only while the other model features an LCD display. Instead of the 11-inch model being left out, Young believes both will be updated together.
The OLED panels could be improved with LTPO, which will allow the displays to offer ProMotion variable refresh rates. In addition, OLED technology offers deeper blacks, a higher contrast ratio, and sharper colors.
