12.9-Inch iPad Pro With Mini-LED Display Possibly 'Delayed' Until Early 2021

The launch of a new high-end 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a Mini-LED display may be "delayed" until early 2021 due to the device's "complex panel design," analyst Jeff Pu said today in an investor note with Chinese research firm GF Securities.

ipad pro 2020 display
Back in December, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple was developing up to six Mini-LED products, including a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with an A14X chip for release in the third quarter of 2020. This was before the global health crisis began, however, so it would be understandable if the timeframe has been pushed back due to supply chain disruptions and Apple engineers being forced to work from home until at least early May.

Last month, leaker Jon Prosser said a new 5G-enabled iPad Pro with an A14X chip and no other hardware changes would be introduced in late 2020, barring any delays. If that proves accurate, it would seem really soon for Apple to update the iPad Pro yet again with a Mini-LED display in early 2021, so rumors are not entirely lining up right now.


Apple just refreshed the iPad Pro last month, but it was a relatively minor update, with new features including an A12Z Bionic chip that has since been found to be an A12X chip with an extra GPU core enabled, an Ultra Wide camera that enables 0.5x zoom, a LiDAR Scanner for enhanced augmented reality, and better sounding microphones. It was the first update to the iPad Pro since the device received a major redesign in October 2018.

Pu also reiterated that Apple is currently on track to release three new iPhone 12 models in September, including one 5.4-inch model and two 6.1-inch models, followed by the highest-end 6.7-inch model in October.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Tag: Jeff Pu
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Caution)
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
iphone 17 pro majin bu sky blue

iPhone 17 Pro Allegedly Coming in Sky Blue Color Used for MacBook Air

Tuesday April 22, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 Pro in a new Sky Blue color, the same color that debuted on the latest M4 MacBook Air models Apple released in March. That's according to the leaker Majin Bu. Concept mockup from Majin Bu Writing on his website, Bu claims that "sources close to the supply chain confirm that several iPhone 17 Pro prototypes have been made in various colors, with Sky Blue...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...

Top Rated Comments

dapa0s Avatar
66 months ago
Makes me feel better about buying the 2020 12.9 inch.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mazz0 Avatar
66 months ago
This would make me sad. A better video viewing experience in the dark is what I most want from my next iPad update, and if I can't have OLED I'll take local dimming LEDs.

Whenever it comes out, I hope it keeps the shape and works with this years Magic Keyboard.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
66 months ago

Honestly the prices are insane for having to buy every 3 years the whole lineup new. I would expect a cheap upgrade plan.

with luck you can get good bucks for your old device, but with apples inferior built quality the last years, it’s harder and harder. If you are not lucky your 3 year old device is worth 100 bucks, and you paid around 100.
You realize that you don’t have to upgrade every single time. I know people still rocking iPads from 2014 and 2015 that works perfectly fine, and they still get updates. Apple has to release updates to keep up-to-date with technology. That doesn’t mean you have to buy everyone. They update the MacBook Pro every 9 to 10 months or so, and no one really complains about that.


The 2020 iPad Pro is a joke if you already have the 2018. In real world usage, it’s just a poor money grab with no real innovation.
Apple may use portrait for the rear cameras as a selling point on iPad OS 14 but that’s minimal.
I sent my damaged units back and kept my 2018 models after seeing it in person. Truly a waste of update if you asked me.
Allow me to put it to you like this. I imagine that you’re a brand new customer, and you go in to get an iPad Pro, because you really want one, and when you ask them what’s the most up-to-date model, they say, one from two years ago. Doesn’t exactly look good. No if they say, it was just updated last month, that’s going to entice more people to buy it. It doesn’t matter how small the update is, at least it’s a newer modeAllow me to put it to you like this. Imagine that you’re a brand new customer, and you going to get an iPad Pro, because you really want one, and when you ask them what’s the most up-to-date model, they say, one from two years ago. Doesn’t exactly look good. Now if they say, it was just updated last month, that’s going to entice more people to buy it. It doesn’t matter how small the update is, at least it’s a newer model.l
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EugW Avatar
66 months ago
I would be sad if the 11" iPad Pro doesn't get mini-LED.

If the rumour of the 7.9" iPad mini getting mini-LED turns out to be true, it would be very strange if the 11" didn't.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
66 months ago
I wouldn't be surprised at all about a 2021 release. Introducing another IPP this year, especially under the current virus situation, would have been crazy.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
66 months ago
Noooo I want the new ipad
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)