Mini-LED, OLED, or LCD? | What Are Apple’s Display Plans for 2022?

There’s been a lot of speculation over the past few weeks about what Apple’s plans could be for mini-LED displays this year. The usual — and generally reliable — sources disagree as to exactly which products, if any, may get the mini-LED display treatment.

While there seems to be a consensus that the 11-inch iPad Pro will not be getting a mini-LED display this year, analysts are more divided when it comes to what else Apple may have in the works.

The most controversial of these centers around the 27-inch mini-LED screen that’s now expected to form part of a higher-end “Apple Studio Display Pro” — a new display that would likely serve as the successor to Apple’s 2019 Pro Display XDR.

Display analyst Ross Young still firmly believes that we’re going to see a mini-LED Studio Display in June, and he has a pretty solid track record when it comes to reports like this.

However, this seems to fly in the face of what the similarly reliable Ming-Chi Kuo had to say about Apple’s overall mini-LED plans. A few days ago, Kuo said that cost concerns could prevent Apple from launching “new mini-LED products.” He’s since doubled-down on that prediction, while also clarifying that this will only affect products with “the new mini-LED display size.”

It’s hard to know exactly what Kuo means by this, although at face value it would seem to suggest that we could still see updates to those Apple products that already have a mini-LED display. This would include the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 14-inch MacBook Pro, and 16-inch MacBook Pro, although of these, it’s only the iPad Pro that’s likely to see a refresh this year.

Both Kuo and Young seem to agree that an 11-inch iPad Pro is not getting a mini-LED display, although that doesn’t necessarily mean it will still limber along with the 2018-era Liquid Retina display.

There have been several reports that Apple is considering moving at least some of its iPad models to OLED. Some even thought it would come to the iPad Air 5, but we obviously know that hasn’t happened. Apple’s suppliers definitely appear to be working on the technology, but whether it plans to have it ready for this year’s 11-inch iPad Pro is still an open question.

As for the rumoured “Apple Studio Display Pro,” that certainly sounds like a new mini-LED display size, but maybe it’s not “the new mini-LED display size” that Kuo is referring to.

What About the Mini-LED iMac Pro?

Until last week, most leakers and analysts believed Apple was working on a 27-inch “iMac Pro” with a mini-LED display that would be ready for launch by the middle of the year. However, some of the most reliable of these sources have since admitted they were duped into believing an upcoming Apple Studio Display was an “iMac Pro.” That’s understandable, since even the current Apple Studio Display looks remarkably like an iMac, complete with webcam, ports, speakers, and even an Apple Silicon chip inside.

While some of our sources still hint that an “iMac Pro” could be coming this year, they’re also conceding that it may be pushed back into 2023. This lines up with what Kuo has said more recently, and it’s also what Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman alluded to in his most recent Power On newsletter.

I still strongly believe a larger iMac with Apple’s pro chips is in development—but I don’t think it, nor the next Mac Pro, are coming anytime soon.Mark Gurman

Both Gurman and Kuo also suggest that a new Apple Silicon Mac Pro is still at least a year away. While Young hinted that the new Apple Studio Display Pro could be introduced alongside a new Mac Pro in June, it sounds like that was merely speculation on his part. As a display analyst, Young has a great track record when it comes to the screens in Apple’s products, but it’s fair to say that he doesn’t have much insight on much else that Apple is up to.

The Pro Display XDR did debut alongside a new Mac Pro in 2019, and it made a lot of sense for the two to show up together — that particular display started at $4,999, so it was definitely in the same league as the Mac Pro. While the “Apple Studio Display Pro” could carry a similar price tag, it’s also worth keeping in mind that Apple has already introduced the Mac Studio, which would also make a suitable companion for a new 7K mini-LED display.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]