Reliable Apple analyst MIng-Chi Kuo is out with a new investor note today that offers a timeline on Apple’s switch to mini-LED technology. According to the analyst, mini LED will come to the iPad and MacBook line starting next year.
Kuo predicts that Apple will bring mini LED to 4-6 products over time, but that the switch over will start with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro in Q3 2020. Kuo says that this iPad Pro model will feature the mini LED display as well as a more powerful A14X processor.
After that, Kuo says Apple will release an updated model of the 16-inch MacBook Pro in Q4 2020 that also uses mini LED technology. Kuo had previously predicted that the iPad and MacBook Pro would switch to mini LED in late 2020 or early 2021, and today’s report doubles down on the earlier side of that window.
In total, Kuo forecasts that Apple will release 4-6 products with mini-LED over the next 2-3 years. Apple’s adoption of the technology is expected to “accelerate the mini LED industry development.”
Kuo has said that Apple is interested in adopting mini LED screen panels as they offer a rich wide color gamut, high contrast ratios, high dynamic range, and localized dimming. mini LED is also believed to result in thinner panels that are more power efficient, and they do not suffer from burn-in like OLED.
Kuo’s investor note today indicates that Apple has seemingly expedited its adoption of mini LED technology across both the iPad and the MacBook line. While the note should be treated with skepticism as Kuo has struggled with these sorts of timelines in the past, we should be less than a year away from the first mini LED iPad.
Apple’s iPad timeline for 2020 still remains a bit unclear. Reports have suggested that Apple will release a new iPad Pro in early 2020. It is always possible that Apple makes two revisions to the iPad Pro lineup next year, or that the 12.9-inch revision is saved for the end of 2020 when the mini LED technology is ready.
