Kuo: Mini-LED MacBook Air Coming in Mid-2022

Apple will release a new version of the MacBook Air around the middle of 2022, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in note to investors seen by MacRumors.

m1 macbook air
The upcoming ‌MacBook Air‌ will feature a 13.3-inch mini-LED display, which would make it the second Mac to gain mini-LED technology after the 2021 MacBook Pro, which is rumored to include a mini-LED display and is expected to launch later this year. Mini-LED display technology will bring a signifiant improvement in MacBook display quality, allowing for a thinner, lighter design while offering benefits like improved wide color gamut, high contrast and dynamic range, and truer blacks.

Kuo has said that the ‌MacBook Air‌ will include a mini-LED display in the past, and the rumor has also been echoed by DigiTimes.

Prior rumors have suggested the 2022 ‌MacBook Air‌ will have thinner bezels than the current model, and that it will adopt the same MagSafe charging technology rumored for the ‌MacBook Pro‌.

It's also expected to include a pair of Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, and there's also a chance that it could come in multiple colors, similar to the M1 iMacs that Apple released this year.

The 2022 ‌MacBook Air‌ will use an upgraded version of the ‌M1‌ Apple silicon chip that's faster and more efficient. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said that it will feature the same number of computing cores as the ‌M1‌ (eight), but that will offer nine or 10 GPU cores instead of seven or eight like the current model for better GPU performance.

Kuo says that if component shortages improve in late 2021 and across 2022, MacBook shipments could grow to approximately 20 to 22 million units in 2022.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Related Forum: MacBook Air

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST 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 at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
top stories 2025 12 04a

Top Stories: iOS 26.2 Coming Soon, Apple Execs Depart, and More

Saturday December 6, 2025 6:00 am PST by
You'd expect things to be starting to wind down for the holidays by now, but that doesn't seem to be the case yet in the world of Apple news, with Apple just about ready to release iOS 26.2 and other operating system updates to the public. There was also a flurry of news this week about Apple executive departures, some expected and some not so expected, while we also learned that Apple and...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...

Top Rated Comments

ccchr Avatar
57 months ago
Now that the M1X 14 and 16" MBPs are released, time to shift focus on to the Air. I'm loving my 14" btw ? -- it's the best thing ever!
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
senttoschool Avatar
57 months ago
I think Apple should upgrade the MBA Air to 14" with Mini-LED. Raise the starting price to $1,100.

Then release a $750 Macbook SE based on the current MBA 13.3" with a regular LCD screen.

Own the PC market just like they own the phone/tablet/watch market. Sell more services. Sell more subscriptions. As it stands now, more people use iPhone + Windows than iPhone + MacOS because of the starting price of Macs. Apple can recapture its own customers by releasing a more well-rounded Mac lineup with a lower starting price.

Steve Job said they didn't know how to make a cheap computer that isn't junk. Well, they know how now: with Apple Silicon. A $750 Macbook SE based on the current MBA 13.3" with an M2/M3 SoC would wipe the floor with any AMD/Intel-based laptops in speed, efficiency, and portability.

AAPL to the moon.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
senttoschool Avatar
57 months ago

Unless Apple decides to stop limiting their hardware capabilities through software, we will only continue to get overkilled hardware.
What the hell? How does Apple limit the MBA hardware? I'm pushing my M1 MBA to the limits.

This isn't news about the iPad Pro. You're in the wrong comment section.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tagbert Avatar
57 months ago

I think Apple should upgrade the MBA Air to 14" with Mini-LED. Raise the starting price to $1,100.

Then release a $750 Macbook SE based on the current MBA 13.3" with a regular LCD screen.

Own the PC market just like they own the phone market. Sell more services. Sell more subscriptions. As it stands now, more people use iPhone + Windows than iPhone + MacOS because of the starting price of Macs. Apple can recapture its own customers by releasing a more well-rounded Mac lineup with a lower starting price.

AAPL to the moon.
No. keep the Air portable at 13", maybe shrink the case. Then add a 15" version for this who want a bigger screen but don't need the full "Pro" experience (and price).
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
threee Avatar
57 months ago
Hmmm, yet another year… This may be my next notebook. I have a 2017 12” MacBook that’s still doing fine for the most part, but getting slow by today’s standards. I will truly miss this form factor when i finally upgrade. Would be cool if someone would figure out how to retrofit one of these with Apple Silicon.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
senttoschool Avatar
57 months ago

Nope. I’m in the right comment section.
It’s true that macOS can use professional software to perform heavy workload, but I still wish it can run Windows and more iOS apps (yeah, some iOS games I play don’t work on M1 MacBook Air cause developer decides not to, which is sad).
What does being able to run Windows/iOS Apps have to do with Apple limiting the hardware through software?

It's up to Microsoft on whether they decide to license out ARM Windows, not Apple. And more iOS Apps? We're only 8 months into the Apple Silicon transition. Many iOS Apps already work fine on MacOS. I'm using some right now. It's not because Apple is blocking them from working on MacOS. It's up to the developers.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)