A new report suggests Apple may be planning to launch several mini LED-based devices later this year.
A new report from Taiwanese publication Digitimes says Apple has plans to launch a 12.9-inch iPad Pro and multiple Mac notebooks with Mini-LED backlit displays by the end of 2020.
The publication says its industry sources tell it that Epistar will manufacture Mini-LED backlighting for a 12.9-inch tablet and a few models of LCD monitors and notebooks to be launched by the end of 2020. Other vendors, due to concern that Epistar might give supply priority to Apple, have already advanced their mini LED orders to the supplier, the publication’s sources noted.
According to the report:
Epistar has obtained orders for mini LED chips with shipments scheduled until June 2020, according to industry sources.
Following the launch of Pro Display XDR, a 32-inch 6K mini LED-backlit LCD monitor, in 2019, Apple will adopt mini LED backlighting for a 12.9-inch tablet and a few models of LCD monitors and notebooks to be launched by the end of 2020, the sources said.
Other vendors, concerned that Epistar might give supply priority to Apple, have advanced their mini LED orders to the supplier, the sources noted.
A tablet or notebook needs about 10,000 mini LEDs for backlighting and a LCD TV needs at least 40,000 chips, the sources indicated.
It’s unclear if the report is referring to new Apple-branded standalone monitors or new iMac models. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently alleged that Apple is working on six mini-LED products for release this year and next. One of those was a new 27-inch iMac Pro.
Mini-LED is said to be better than OLED displays used on iPhone 11 Pro and Apple Watch. LED-backlit displays make use of hundreds of LED’s, however, the Mini-LED will use smaller backlighting spread across a thousand array local dimming zones. The Mini-LED displays will offer a higher contrast ratio, higher brightness, more power-efficient, and fewer chances of burn-in as opposed to OLED.
