Apple expected to release iPad Pro, MacBook Pro with Mini LED displays
Doubling down on an earlier prediction, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple will produce new iPad Pro and MacBook Pro models featuring high-quality Mini LED displays in late 2020 or early 2021.

Apple's current iPad Pro
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is again reporting that he believes Apple will move to producing high end models of the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro which use Mini LED screens. These displays, said to be comparable to OLED, are expected to be launched in late 2020 or early 2021.
Kuo has previous predicted iPad Pro improvements, and higher-quality MacBook Pro display, but now he offers more detail about the specifics of the display.
Kuo believes the displays for both iPad Pro and MacBook Pro will use 10,000 Mini LEDs. The forthcoming Apple Pro Display XDR monitor is confirmed to have 576 LEDs.
LED and Mini LED screens are said to be comparable to OLED displays, but without the production issues or potential for burn-in. Moving to Mini LED could also reduce Apple's reliance on Samsung's OLED manufacturing.
According to Kuo, the Mini LED screens will be produced by LG Display, and utilize components from half a dozen other suppliers, including Epistar. Apple has previously been reported developing both Mini and Micro LED displays with Epistar and others.
As previously claimed, Kuo says the new iPad Pro will have a display of between 10 and 12 inches, and the MacBook Pro will have between 15 and 17-inch screens. This implies the whole high end of both models getting the new screens.
Kuo says that the new iPad Pro will be released at the end of 2020 or the start of 2021. The MacBook Pro will be early 2021.

Apple's current iPad Pro
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is again reporting that he believes Apple will move to producing high end models of the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro which use Mini LED screens. These displays, said to be comparable to OLED, are expected to be launched in late 2020 or early 2021.
Kuo has previous predicted iPad Pro improvements, and higher-quality MacBook Pro display, but now he offers more detail about the specifics of the display.
Kuo believes the displays for both iPad Pro and MacBook Pro will use 10,000 Mini LEDs. The forthcoming Apple Pro Display XDR monitor is confirmed to have 576 LEDs.
LED and Mini LED screens are said to be comparable to OLED displays, but without the production issues or potential for burn-in. Moving to Mini LED could also reduce Apple's reliance on Samsung's OLED manufacturing.
According to Kuo, the Mini LED screens will be produced by LG Display, and utilize components from half a dozen other suppliers, including Epistar. Apple has previously been reported developing both Mini and Micro LED displays with Epistar and others.
As previously claimed, Kuo says the new iPad Pro will have a display of between 10 and 12 inches, and the MacBook Pro will have between 15 and 17-inch screens. This implies the whole high end of both models getting the new screens.
Kuo says that the new iPad Pro will be released at the end of 2020 or the start of 2021. The MacBook Pro will be early 2021.
Comments
https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/04/04/explaining-microled-versus-tft-and-oled-display-technologies-and-why-apple-is-interested-for-a-future-iphone-or-apple-watch
Probably why Apple is investing so heavily to keep Japan Display afloat.
https://www.ledinside.com/news/2018/5/difference_between_micro_led_and_mini_led
This sentence should only be "Mini LED screens are said to be comparable to OLED displays". Not sure how anyone can say LED in LCD panel comparable to OLED. That's just false.
It's doubtful imo. Mini-LED would be seriously cost prohibitive in a phone. It would probably make everyone long for the days of expensive OLED phones.
Here's some info from last year about component cost: https://technology.ihs.com/607532/manufacturing-cost-of-mini-led-backlighting-lcd-still-too-high-to-compete-with-conventional-displays Even if the cost has dropped over the year's time difference, it would still be way more expensive than the tech that Apple is currently using for phones. When you consider that cost was factored at medium sized panels... the expense of further miniaturization to accommodate phones would be most likely overwhelmingly more expensive than LCD and OLED imo. Mini-LED ain't cheap. That's why you see it high end TV's and monitors.
LCD Panel, 3 major types of backlighting
- FL backlight (old tech)
- LED backlight (current tech)
- Mini LED backlight (newer current tech, increases number of backlight zones)
OLED, no backlight required (current tech)
Micro LED, also no backlight required (next gen tech)
If you're referring to the switch from LCD > Mini LED > Micro LED, believe i. Mini LED Is a transitional tech, able to use much of the LCD tooling available today, whereas Micro LED is a totally different tech.
AppleInsider, I think you might need to hyphenate Mini LED in the headline? "Mini-LED Display", otherwise the word Mini could apply to Display. 🤣
MicroLED is essentially where each pixel has its own individual LED backlight behind it. Today’s LED LCDs have one LED backlight for all the pixels, all 3, 6, 12 million of them. The Pro XDR display has about 576 LED backlights arrayed behind the pixels, lighting up 35k pixels each. This rumored iPad and MBP miniLED has 10,000 LED backlights arrayed behind the pixels, so about 600 to 700 pixels for each LED backlight. That would be a square of about 25x25 pixels per backlight, or about 3 x 3 mm at 200 PPI.
As the technology gets further, it’ll be down to 4x4 or 2x2 pixels, and eventually just 1. So like OLED, but with less risk for organic polymer degradation (burn-in, nonuniform colors, et al), and hopefully good bye to Pentile.