iPad Pro may be 1st Apple device with mini-LED display

Famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in his latest investors’ note has claimed that the first Apple device to feature a Mini-LED display will be a new iPad Pro.

Apple has been working on mini-LED displays for quite some time now and there are a total of six products in the pipeline ranging from iPads to Macs, reports GSMArena.

Kuo claimed that Apple will accelerate mini-LED panels’ adoption because they are performing better than expected in current testing.

“These new displays would be manufactured by a new supplier called Sanan Optoelectronics, and they could appear on the next 12.9-inch iPad Pro”.

The main barrier to adoption is the micro-LED manufacturing process, which is complicated.

The increased supply capacity and competition among suppliers will reportedly drive Apple’s cost for mini-LED display dies from $75–$85 down to around $45.

Kuo predicted that 30-40 per cent of iPads shipped in 2021 will feature the new display tech, alongside 20-30 per cent of MacBooks.

Earlier, Apple was granted a patent for a fitness band that may use micro-LED, but there’s no confirmation if the company is actually planning to enter that segment.

Apple could also use the micro-LED display panel for the seventh-generation Apple Watch.

According to reports, Apple is investing around $330 million in the Taiwan-based company for a micro-LED factory that will manufacture displays for future iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and other devices from Apple.