One of the headline features of this year’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro was the miniLED backlighting – or what Apple calls the Liquid Retina HDR display. This technology is behind the 12.9-inch iPad Pro’s 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a measurement of the difference between bright whites and dark blacks. Mini-LED is an improvement over LED-backlit displays by a long shot, and it’s a practical alternative to OLED screens found on new iPhones and every Apple Watch. The 12.9-inch display touts noticeably better black levels and high dynamic range video playback that arguably rivals OLED televisions.
11-Inch iPad Pro No Longer Expected to Gain Mini-LED Display in 2022
Young, in a tweet, says that’s no longer expected this year, noting the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is “doing really well” and that Apple doesn’t need to bring mini-LED to the smaller form factor.
Kuo: Mini-LED Versions of 11-Inch iPad Pro and Studio Display Unlikely This Year
This prediction conflicts with information shared by display industry consultant Ross Young, who earlier this week said that Apple could launch a 27-inch monitor with mini-LEDs in June.
How many mini-LEDs did Apple pack into the iPad Pro?
“During its Spring Loaded event, Apple’s Heidi Delgado said that the previous iPad Pro had 72 LEDs, but the new “Liquid Retina XDR” manages to pack in over 10,000 of them.
11-Inch iPad Pro No Longer Expected to Gain Mini-LED Display in 2022
Young, in a tweet, says that’s no longer expected this year, noting the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is “doing really well” and that Apple doesn’t need to bring mini-LED to the smaller form factor.
See the Dramatic Improvement Mini-LED Brings to the M1 iPad Pro’s Display
Aside from the M1 chip, Apple’s 12.9-inch 2021 iPad Pro models have one other standout feature – the new mini-LED display. The iPad Pro’s mini-LED display, which Apple calls Liquid Retina XDR, features more than 10,000 LEDs with 2,500 local dimming zones, allowing for much deeper blacks and higher contrast depending on the content that you’re viewing.
It’s worth noting that some users have complained of a blooming effect caused by the extreme brightness of LEDs.
Big iPad, Mini LED: why Apple’s new iPad Pro display is better and brighter
But aside from the processor, the biggest technical leap is exclusive to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro: it’s what Apple calls the “Liquid Retina XDR,” a new display that adopts Mini LED backlighting to achieve higher brightness and greater contrast than any iPad (or Mac) that the company has ever made. Things move a little closer when you look at the iPhone 12 Pro’s OLED screen, which can hit a max brightness of 800 nits and 1,200 in HDR.
Unlike OLED, where individual pixels are self-illuminating and can fully turn off when not needed, Mini LED is more of a natural progression from the LCD screens that have become such a mainstay of consumer electronics. During its Spring Loaded event, Apple’s Heidi Delgado said that the previous iPad Pro had 72 LEDs, but the new “Liquid Retina XDR” manages to pack in over 10,000 of them.
This granular level of control, according to Delgado, results in customers “seeing the brightest highlights along with subtle details in the darkest parts of an image.” TCL really sparked the trend in 2019, and apparently Samsung and LG took notice: their higher-end 2021 LCD TVs now utilize Mini LED backlighting as well.
The huge uptick in LEDs could also result in improved panel uniformity; some owners of the previous 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros have observed uneven backlighting. But as someone who uses the previous 12.9-inch model daily for productive and creative purposes, I’m very curious to see what Mini LED adds to the iPad experience.
Apple won’t release mini LED 11-inch iPad Pro or Studio Display, Kuo says
In a tweet on Wednesday, Kuo reiterated a previous prediction that Apple wouldn’t launch new mini LED products due to “cost concerns.” Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants, who has a good track record of accurate predictions, agrees with the assumption that no new mini LED devices are arriving in 2022.
How many mini-LEDs did Apple pack into the iPad Pro?
“During its Spring Loaded event, Apple’s Heidi Delgado said that the previous iPad Pro had 72 LEDs, but the new “Liquid Retina XDR” manages to pack in over 10,000 of them.
Mini-LED display heads for 11-inch iPad Pro in 2022, but no OLED for iPad Air
However, the analyst rescinded an earlier prediction that an iPad Air with an OLED display will launch in 2022. The result is higher contrast, blacker blacks, improved brightness and better power efficiency.
The 16-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pro models allegedly coming before the end of 2021 supposedly will also employ mini-LED backlights. Each pixel glows in an Organic Light Emitting Diode display, removing the need for a backlight.
The result is a high contrast ratio because pixels showing dark colors don’t need to light up at all. “We believe that lighter, thinner, and foldable designs are the major long-term trends for tablet-type products over the next 3–5 years,” noted the analyst.
Apple tosses OLED iPad plans, will focus on mini-LED
OLED uses pixel-by-pixel dimming techniques, meaning picture quality is at an all-time high with perfect blacks and vivid colours. While mini-LED still creates the opportunity to replicate true blacks, it won’t be as precise as OLED, meaning blooming is still potentially be an issue.
Almost immediately following the reveal that Apple was using more advanced local dimming mini-LED panels on the larger iPad Pro while retaining the standard Liquid Retina LCD on the 11-inch model, analysts speculated that the company would bring mini-LED to the smaller sibling iPad Pro at the company’s next hardware refresh.
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