- Apple is planning to release a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro model with mini-LED display technology during the first quarter of 2021.
- The new display technology provides improved picture quality across the board and will ultimately come to the company’s Mac line as well.
- Apple’s upcoming iPad Pro will also be the first iPad with 5G connectivity.
2020 was an incredibly busy year for Apple. Aside from launching a revamped Apple Watch and its most ambitious iPhone lineup to date, the company also introduced a range of new and updated accessories such as the HomePod Mini and AirPods Max. But of course, the most notable product release from Apple over the past 12 months was the introduction of Macs featuring the Apple-designed M1 processor.
Looking ahead to 2021, Apple has no plans to take its foot off the gas. According to a new report from Digitimes, Apple is aiming to release a brand new 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a mini-LED display during the first quarter of next year.
Rumors of an iPad Pro with a mini-LED display have been making the rounds for quite a few months at this point, and now it seems like its release is finally on the horizon.
The arrival of mini-LED display technology to the iPad lineup is certainly compelling as the technology offers up a range of benefits. For starters, the technology is impressively power-efficient while also allowing for thinner and lighter displays. Beyond that, mini-LED displays reduce the odds of burn-in and offer up improved picture quality thanks to higher contrast, local dimming, and solid wide color gamut performance. The one downside is that mini-LED displays are expensive, which explains why Apple is introducing it first on the iPad Pro.
Beyond a snazzy new display, Apple’s upcoming iPad Pro will reportedly boast an A14x processor and support for 5G connectivity. Note that this will be the first 5G iPad from Apple.
Incidentally, Apple’s forthcoming iPad Pro may not be the only new device to feature mini-LED displays. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo — who has a stellar record with respect to Apple rumors — Apple next year is planning to release a pair of redesigned MacBook Pro models with mini-LED displays. A MacBook Air with mini-LED display technology, meanwhile, is being planned for a release sometime in 2021.
A Kuo investor note from April of this year reads in part:
The trend for Apple’s development and promotion of mini LED are more identifiable in five years. We predict that Apple is currently developing six mini-LED-support products (vs. the previous report of only two products), including a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, a 27-inch iMac Pro in 4Q20, a 14.1-inch MacBook Pro (upgraded from 13.3-inch), a 16-inch MacBook Pro, a 10.2-inch iPad, and a 7.9-inch iPad mini in 2020.
While nothing is official at this point, it stands to reason that Apple will release its next-gen iPad Pro model in March.
