Earlier this month, display analyst Ross Young said that Apple was preparing to add a miniLED display to the upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Air. According to the analyst, the company would use the miniLED panels from its iPad Pro for the new Air model.
As exciting as this sounded, it would also mean that Apple would have to charge extra for a miniLED panel on the iPad Air. Now, Ross Young has updated this report on X and claims that despite multiple sources confirming this move, it seems Apple will stick with an LCD panel on the new iPad Air after all due to miniLED’s high cost.
Still, Young believes that there may be a new iPad model with a 12.9-inch miniLED display by the end of the year. While the analyst has a great track record, BGR doesn’t think there’s room for yet another larger iPad with a different display in Apple’s iPad lineup.
Most likely, Apple will keep these miniLED panels for repairing current and older iPad Pro models with a 12.9-inch display, but it won’t do much more with them, as the company is reportedly moving on from miniLED panels to OLED.
The M2 iPad Air is still exciting, even without a miniLED display
Even if Apple doesn’t add a miniLED display to the iPad Air, this is its most interesting update so far. For the first time, the tablet is expected to increase in size. Apple fans looking for a larger display at a lower price point than the iPad Pro will finally have a great alternative.
With the M2 chip, this tablet is expected to keep supporting the current Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil 2 – it’s unclear if the third-gen Apple Pencil will work with this iPad.
Fortunately, it won’t be much longer before we all discover what Apple has in store since a May 7 event will unveil Apple’s latest products.
Keep following BGR for the latest Apple announcements.