In a note to clients — as noted by MacRumors — analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple will launch a 16-inch MacBook Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro with mini-LED displays in the second half of 2020. They’ll be among four to six products with such displays, he adds.
Mini-LEDs sport a local dimming function with a contrast effect similar to that of OLED displays. However, on some product lines, costs for mini-LED backlit displays may even be lower than their OLED counterparts, according to LEDinside. Mini-LED products are as thin as those using OLED technology so they consume less power than traditional LED screens, and they cost 70-80% less to produce than OLED displays, although their performance is similar.
Kuo has previously said that mini-LED displays will allow for thinner and lighter product designs, while offering many of the same benefits of OLED displays. The analyst has also said that future iPad and MacBook displays will use approximately 10,000 LEDs.
Chances the rumor is true, according to the Sellers Research Group (that’s me): 90%. It makes sense as Apple pushes the envelope on its high-end portables.
