After years of sticking with LCD panels on the iPad lineup, Apple finally decided to try something different this year on the iPad Pro. The new iPad Pro, which launched in April, came with a mini LED display. However, this display change only applies to the 12.7-inch model as the smaller 11-inch iPad Pro uses the same LCD panel that we have seen in previous models. But that might finally change with the next iPad Pro series, according to a fresh report.

According to Ming-Chi- Kuo, an Apple insider who has a proven track record with leaking Apple products, Apple is planning to switch to the mini LED display on the next 11-inch iPad Pro model. The news comes from an investor note, obtained by MacRumors and AppleInsider, in which Kuo says that in 2022 both 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models will come equipped with mini LED displays. Alongside the iPad Pro, Kuo claims that Apple is also working on a new MacBook Air with a mini LED display for 2022.

"We predict that new products equipped with Mini LED displays in 2022 include 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and newly designed MacBook Air," Kuo wrote in a note (machine translated).

Mini LED is based on LCD, but it employs thousands of tiny backlight diodes to offer vastly superior contrast, higher brightness, and improved HDR performance rivaling OLED panels. In contrast, traditional LCDs only have anywhere between dozens and a few hundred local dimming zones.

Although the new iPad Pro model launched just in April, reports and rumors are already out on what Apple plans for the next refresh. As per reports so far, the 2022 iPad Pro models may, for the first time, feature wireless charging along with reverse wireless charging support.

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While the iPad Pro series is expected to fully transition to Mini LED moving forward, Kuo reported back in March that the cheaper models such as the iPad Air would adopt an OLED panel.

Featured image: 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2021)