Apple Ramping Up Supply of Mini-LED Displays for New Devices in 2022

Apple is purportedly ramping up mini-LED chip production and bringing more manufacturers into its supply chain to meet demand for new devices in 2022, DigiTimes reports.

iPad Pro Mini LED yellow
Apple has expanded its use of mini-LED technology over the past three years and currently offers three devices that feature mini-LED displays: The Pro Display XDR, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and the high-end MacBook Pro. The company is expected to have several new devices with mini-LED displays in the pipeline for launch this year, including the 11-inch iPad Pro, 27-inch iMac Pro, redesigned MacBook Air, and potentially even new external displays.

Taiwan's Epistar is currently Apple's main supplier of mini-LED chips, but the company's growing number of devices with mini-LED displays has reportedly forced it to seek additional suppliers. Citing industry sources, DigiTimes claims that China's Sanan Optoelectronics is significantly undercutting the prices of Apple's current suppliers and has now been granted certification to supply the company with chips for mini-LED backlit displays.

Apple's demand for mini-LED display technology is "expected to significantly increase in 2022," according to ‌DigiTimes‌, likely due to the continued success of the high-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ Models as well as the launch of new devices. To meet Apple's growing demand, Epistar is expanding its production facilities in China to ramp up production starting in the second quarter of 2022, and Sanan Optoelectronics could begin shipments around the same time.

Mini-LED display technology, which Apple brands as "Liquid Retina XDR" displays, can offer deeper, darker blacks, with better overall contrast, although, unlike OLED displays, they can suffer from a phenomenon called "blooming." ‌Mini-LED‌ displays can also show brighter, richer colors and offer additional benefits such as thinner designs, better power efficiency, and less risk of burn-in or degradation.

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Top Rated Comments

nepalisherpa Avatar
43 months ago
While I do notice blooming especially in a very dark environment (such as at night with lights turned off), I LOVE the display on the 12.9. Watching HDR (especially Apple TV+ shows) has been amazing and I could never go back to "gray black".
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kalafalas Avatar
43 months ago
MiniLED does not offer thinner designs over oled. In fact miniLED is quite thick, even thicker than edge lit.

I still dream of an 11” OLED iPad, but miniLED will do. Come on march 8th!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MayaUser Avatar
43 months ago
Beautiful, maybe next week we will see a new mac mini along side with one of the upcoming external display?!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sir_Macs_A_Lot Avatar
43 months ago

I'm excited for both a new 11" iPad Pro and 27-30" iMac (hoping both have miniLED), but I'm not getting my hopes up for next week...
Apple could always announce it with a future release date. They do it all of the time.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
svish Avatar
43 months ago
Definitely expecting to see 11” iPad Pro this year with mini LED.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GuruZac Avatar
43 months ago

While I do notice blooming especially in a very dark environment (such as at night with lights turned off), I LOVE the display on the 12.9. Watching HDR (especially Apple TV+ shows) has been amazing and I could never go back to "gray black".
Yeah I never use my iPad Pro in a totally dark room (really bad on the eyes), so the blooming is a non-issue. For all the other benefits you get with the miniLED display, I’ll accept the blooming. It’s definitely there, but only noticeable in dark lighting.

As far as what they might offer, I can see an iMac Pro with the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors, with either 24” or 27” display, Pro colors, so silver or space grey, miniLED display, and the extra ports of the new MacBook Pros. That would sell really well. I can’t see an M2 MacBook Pro 13” launching right now.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)