Apple is, in recent times, persistently rumoured to be introducing a 12.9-inch model of the iPad Air, coming next month with the usual-sized model as well as the refresh for the iPad Pro of both sizes. The two versions were thought to be exactly the same besides the screen size difference, but now the larger tablet is noted as getting a display panel upgrade as well.
MacRumors cites a paywalled post on X, previously Twitter, by Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, which claims that the 12.9-inch iPad Air will be equipped with a mini-LED display. And if you were thinking that it would make it very similar to the one on the larger iPad Pro, you would not be wrong. In fact, the report notes that the larger iPad Air will be making use of the leftover mini-LED screens of the aforementioned larger iPad Pro.
As with the previous rumours, the iPad Pro models are getting variants that make use of OLED screens in addition to the existing mini-LED option. This frees up some of the supply of the latter, which can then be used for the new size of the iPad Air instead. You’d think that the same should apply to the smaller models of both, but it appears that the minuscule difference between the 11-inch iPad Pro and the 10.9-inch iPad Air makes the sharing of display panels impossible.
For now, it’s unclear if the larger iPad Air is getting a mini-LED screen as an option, or if it will be the default. If the latter, then it’s definitely a strong reason to choose the larger model over the smaller one, as it will provide better colour contrast for HDR content. But as to whether this pans out as claimed, we’ll have to wait until the launch, currently pegged at 6 May, to find out.
(Source: Ross Young / X via MacRumors)
