iPad Pro 2022 — mini-LED is a big deal, and here's why

iPad Pro 2021 — mini-LED is a big deal, and here's why

(Paradigm credit: Apple)

Apple merely appear that the new iPad Pro 2021 has a huge upgrade. The 12.9-inch model sports a mini-LED display (sorry xi-inch iPad Pro, maybe next twelvemonth?). But what is mini-LED, and why would you lot want it?

More chiefly, what would a mini-LED display hateful for the new iPad Pro terms of picture quality, design, or fifty-fifty toll? Let'southward take a await and find out.

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What is mini-LED?

Mini-LED refers to a new backlight technology that backs the LCD panel of the new iPad Pro with diodes that are merely a fifth the size of a standard LED, measuring as footling equally 200-600 micrometers across. (Not to be confused with micro-LED, which uses fifty-fifty smaller LEDs non equally the backlight, but as individual pixels of the brandish. If y'all still have questions, check out our guide Micro-LED vs. Mini-LED: What's the difference?)

That smaller size means that you can pack hundreds of individual LEDS behind the 12.9-inch screen of the iPad Pro. Simply more importantly, the densely packed mini-LEDs allow for tinier and more than tightly controlled lighting zones.

These small blocks of screen space tin be independently brightened or dimmed, letting the display tailor the brightness to the content on screen, giving the display amend dissimilarity with deeper black levels and higher brightness. It also gives high dynamic range (HDR) content a boost with improve lighting for specular highlights and subtle shadows.

Smaller LEDS = Better picture quality

On a Television receiver, that makes for a level of improvement that elevates the operation of an LCD display to something closer to OLED. On an iPad or MacBook, it will certainly upshot in better video playback and richer visuals for gaming and other content.

Mini-LED screens for the iPad and MacBook have been rumored for sometime now – since spring of 2019 – and are speculated to provide a stepping stone between current LCD panels and an eventual shift to OLED displays. Whether that'south as a step-up premium selection, or a total replacement of the upcoming mini-LED displays has yet to be seen.

Mini-LED has and so far shown to be a solid win whenever it's been used on a brandish, though nosotros've and so far seen that only in TVs. (See why nosotros're calling 2021 the Year of the mini-LED Idiot box to larn more.) However, even at a smaller screen size, there'due south no reason to recall that mini-LED would be anything but a major comeback over the iPad'south current Liquid Retina LED-lit panels.

How does this assistance the iPad Pro?

Just the changes brought by mini-LED extend beyond motion picture brightness and boosted color performance. They also permit manufacturers make screens thinner, and they accept better free energy efficiency than fifty-fifty current LED backlights.

The promise of thinner displays opens up options for thinner iPads and laptops, only when has Apple tree ever wanted a thinner, lighter blueprint? Well, given the constant use of "Air" as branding for it's laptops and tablets, enough. And slimmer designs are a definite choice with mini-LED.

The more energy-efficient displays enabled by mini-LED volition as well deliver ameliorate bombardment life, bold no change to the existing battery size and capacity. But it'due south as well worth noting that a thinner display in the iPad could as well permit for larger internal batteries. The combination could exist a huge upgrade.

Thinner and lighter designs, amend battery life and improved picture all sound like pretty great improvements.

Unfortunately, such a proceeds volition have to wait for adjacent year, if at all. The iPad Pro 2021 is slightly thicker than its predecessor, measuring 0.25 inches (the 2020 iPad Pro was 0.23 inches thick).

What almost the cost?

And the all-time part? The switch to mini-LED more often than not happens without the major leap in price you'd have to stomach to upgrade to OLED. On the TV side, mini-LED models are within a couple hundred dollars in price compared to their standard LED competitors, despite the significant picture quality improvements the new tech allows.

That said, the new iPad Pro is more expensive, $100 more than than the previous model, at $one,099. Then, I estimate we should count our blessings. An OLED iPad Pro could take made the tablet even more expensive.

Next: See all the MacBook Pro 2021 rumors

Brian Westover is an Editor at Tom's Guide, covering everything from TVs to the latest PCs. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he wrote for TopTenReviews and PCMag.