New iPad Pro Models Tipped to Launch in April, One With Mini-LED Screen

Apple is reported to launch two new iPad Pro models sometime this month. The company is expected to integrate a mini-LED screen, Apple’s newest bet in displays, on at least one iPad Pro model, presumably the more premium one. This falls in line with TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s prediction of Apple launching a new iPad with a mini-LED display sometime in H1 2021. The report says that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will shift to the mini-LED display that is said to offer better contrast ratio and saturation.

Bloomberg cites anonymous sources to report that Apple may be launching two iPad Pro tablets this month. The mini-LED screen may be introduced in the larger iPad Pro model, possibly the 12.9-inch one, and the other model will continue to feature LCD display. The report says that there are a few production issues of the mini-LED display for the top-tier iPad Pro, leading to short initial supply.

This could mean that while the premium iPad Pro may launch this month, its shipping may commence a bit later and it may be initially available in limited quantities. Taiwan-based suppliers Ennostar, General Interface Solution, and Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology are among the key providers of mini-LED technology. One of these suppliers are reported to be dealing with poor manufacturing yields and had to pause production. The two iPad Pro models are expected to launch in the second half of the month.

The timeline of launch is in line with analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s prediction of a mini-LED display iPad being launched in the first half of 2021. Past reports suggests the new models will look similar to the current iPad Pro models and while the top-tier variant may have a 12.9-inch screen, the other to feature an 11-inch display. The iPad Pro was last updated in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, adding a tweaked processor, support for the Magic Keyboard with Trackpad case, and a LIDAR scanner alongside the camera.

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