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.

Popular Stories

iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 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. iPhone 17 Pro's alleged design via Front Page Tech Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

iOS 19 Coming in June With These New Features

Thursday March 20, 2025 2:04 pm PDT by
While the first iOS 19 beta is still more than two months away, there are already plenty of rumors about the upcoming software update. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors so far. visionOS-Like Design In January, the YouTube channel Front Page Tech revealed a redesigned Camera app that is allegedly planned for iOS 19. According to Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser, the Camera app...
iOS 18

Top 5 New Features Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday March 21, 2025 3:26 pm PDT by
We're not getting new Siri Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.4 as expected, but the upcoming update does have quite a few new additions that will be worth upgrading for. We've rounded up the five best features to look forward to, and if you're not running the beta, you can expect to get access to these in early April. Priority Notifications If you have an iPhone or iPad that supports...
Windows Vista

Apple Might Be Having Its Windows Vista Moment, Says Analyst

Thursday March 20, 2025 6:52 am PDT by
Is Apple experiencing a "Vista-like drift into systemically poor execution?" That was a question posed by well-known technology analyst Benedict Evans, in a recent blog post covering Apple's innovation and execution, or seemingly lack thereof as of late. He is referring to Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, which was widely criticized when it launched in 2007 due to software bugs,...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Coming to These 8 U.S. States, But Rollout Remains Slow

Wednesday March 19, 2025 6:55 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly. It has been three and a half years since Apple first announced the...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 18, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

Latest iPhone 17 Pro Dummies Highlight Apple's New Part-Glass Design

Thursday March 20, 2025 5:27 am PDT by
Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson has shared more dummy models of Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 series, with the latest lot revealing a noticeable shift in Apple's iPhone Pro model design that goes beyond the much-talked-about new rear camera bar. Dickson points out that the iPhone 17 Pro dummy models feature an outlined area on the back, beginning just below the camera module and extending to the...
airtag orange

Apple's Next Product is Likely an AirTag 2 With These New Features

Thursday March 20, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by
Following the introduction of the iPhone 16e, new iPads and Macs, and some new accessories over the past month, what will Apple's next product announcement be? Based on rumors, a second-generation AirTag item tracker is likely next up. Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that a new AirTag would be released around the middle of 2025. More recently, a leaker known as Kosutami claimed...

Top Rated Comments

nepalisherpa Avatar
40 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
40 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
40 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
40 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
40 months ago
Definitely expecting to see 11” iPad Pro this year with mini LED.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GuruZac Avatar
40 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)