It’s been a big 12 months for Apple. We’ve had M1 chips in MacBooks, OLED displays for iPhones and dynamic spatial audio in the AirPods Max. And new rumours suggest Apple isn’t slowing down.
Mini-LED displays
A research note from reliable Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, suggests that Apple will be moving to Mini-LED technology for its MacBook Air laptops by 2022. Mini-LED has already been rumoured to come to the new 12.9 inch iPad Pro later this year, which would be the first foray into Mini-LED for Apple.
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This latest rumour seems to fuel the fire that Apple is moving towards more advanced Mini-LED displays for its future products.
That being said, Kuo also notes that the 2022 iPad Air will feature an OLED display. This is still a step up from its current liquid retina display, but it seems Apple is saving the more expensive Mini-LED technology for its flagship models.
Mini-LED technology is pretty big in the TV world at the moment. Mini-LED tech allows for a larger amount of smaller lights to be packed into a screen along with a larger amount of local dimming zones. This provides more brightness, higher contrast and better blacks, without the risk of burn-in.
OLED displays have been adopted in the latest iPhone range, but the latest M1 Macs still use retina displays. This is likely because of burn-in concerns after long periods of use on these products. So, adopting Mini-LED will still be a step up for MacBook displays.
Kuo also recently stated that this year’s MacBook Pro range would also be receiving Mini-LED displays along with six other new devices. So it seems likely all the upcoming MacBooks and iMacs could be making the switch to Mini-LED displays.
The first time we may see this Mini-LED technology in an Apple device is April. It’s being heavily rumoured that Apple will launch the next iPad Pro series next month, which may also be the first iPad to move to a Thunderbolt port.