A DigiTimes report citing reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple will be switching to Mini LED display technology for its upcoming iMacs. In his note yesterday, Kuo mentioned that he expects Apple to launch a 31.6-inch 6K display this year.

Today’s report also claims that Apple will be switching to mini LED display technology for its 2020 iPad and 2021 MacBook Pro lineup. As per Kuo, mini LED displays offer a wide color gamut, high contrast ratio, high dynamic range, and local dimming feature which make them far superior to LCD panels used by Apple in its iPad and iMac lineup.

The Japan-based Nichia will be supplying Apple backlit unit of about 500 LEDs that are about 600 microns in size.

Strictly speaking, this is a quasi-mini LED BLU because the chip size is much larger than those of standard mini LEDs, according to industry sources. However, the use of such a BLU will give opportunities for the supply chain to improve mini LED production in cost and yield rate, the sources noted.

For the iPad, more than 10,000 mini LEDs will be required which would be produced by Epistar. The LCD panel itself will be produced by LG Display. Along with these two, Radiant Opto-Electronics will also be supplying BLUs to Apple and the three companies are expected to be a part of the supply chain of the mini LED-backlit MacBook as well.

Our Take

While the report cites reputed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, it is still recommended that it is taken with a pinch of salt. DigiTimes claims that Apple will be launching a 6K iMac, while Kuo expects Apple to simply launch a standalone 6K display. My bet is also on the latter as Apple has already refreshed its iMac lineup this year with faster internals and they are unlikely to get another refresh this year.

As for the switch to mini LEDs, it is something that only time will tell. If Apple does make the switch, we should see more such rumors and reports leak out.

[Via Digitimes]