When Apple reveals its next iPads (read here for exactly when that is likely to be), it looks like there will be two new iPad Pro tablets and two iPad Air models. And a new report claims something very unexpected: the iPad Air will use the miniLED backlighting technology of the current iPad Pro. That’s brilliant news—literally.
April 20 update below. This post was first published on May 18, 2024.
While the next iPad Pro’s promise of an OLED screen seems to have just leaked, there’s been little to no news on the upcoming iPad Air apart from the suggestion that it’ll come in two sizes for the first time.
But now a report from Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants, whose deep knowledge specialty is displays, says that a surprise is coming.
He posted on X, and this was picked up by Zac Hall at 9to5Mac. Yong commented, “Surprise! The upcoming 12.9″ iPad Air has a MiniLED display. This will consume left over panels from the 12.9″ MiniLED iPad Pro and offer lower power than an edge lit LCD…”
This is very exciting news. The display on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is sensational, with the many miniLED backlights giving a brightness, deep contrast and vividness that regular LCD can’t manage. It’s easily the best display on any iPad.
One caveat: Ross is only predicting this change for the bigger iPad Air, with a 12.9-inch display, not the smaller model with a display of 10.9 inches approximately. Well, if Ross is right that Apple has inventory of miniLED 12.9-inch screens, then it makes sense that it’s the larger screen only that’s going to benefit.
That’s a clever way to drive sales of the larger Air, while not including the tech on the smaller model will likely mean there are savings to Apple which can keep the price competitive. That’s especially important if, as predicted, Apple is releasing iPad Pro and iPad Air models on the same day—the company will need clear demarcations between the models.
Display is one of those. It’s thought that the iPad Pro will see price rises, not least because of the OLED screens that are expected.
April 20 update. The miniLED display technology that has been reported was genuinely surprising—nobody had predicted this until Ross Young—but it makes sense and there are more reasons why it’s a good thing which are just emerging.
As Macworld points out, “Implementing a Mini LED display would provide a power consumption savings over the current LED displays. Mini LEDs also produce better blacks, so the image quality on the iPad Air could see an improvement.”
There’s also a logic beyond using up leftover iPad Pro 12.9-inch panels. By the way, given Apple is run by someone known to have superpowers when it comes to production line economics, my suspicion is it’s not so much leftovers as buying at numbers that achieved economies of scale because Apple knew it would use them for the new Air all along.
And as Macworld adds, “This creates a non-pro pairing that’s an alternative to the 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro.”
The only downside to this arrangement is that it again creates an imbalance between the two sizes of tablet, with only the larger Air having miniLED—an imbalance that is now being removed from the Pro models if, as seems overwhelmingly likely, they both have OLED displays.
