7 Reasons to Wait for the 2021 iPad Pro & 3 Reasons Not To

Wait for a mini-LED Display

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is bringing mini-LED backlighting to the iPad Pro line, a new 10.2-inch iPad, iPad mini line, the MacBook Pro line, and the Mac Pro.

Trendforce and leakers on Twitter also claim the technology is headed to the iPad Air line at some point as well. 

According to a report from DigiTimes, Apple is planning to use super-thin rigid PCB boards from manufacturer Tripod Technology. Volume production will reportedly start in early 2021.

In a more recent note, Kuo says Apple will accelerate its adoption of mini-LED displays in its iPad and Mac lineups. 

The analyst believes mini-LED technology will emerge on board 30–40% of ‌iPad‌ shipments and 20–30% of the company's MacBook shipments in 2021.

According to Kuo, the initial batch of mini-LED displays are headed to the iPad Pro. Bloomberg also believes the iPad Pro line will adopt mini-LED displays.

If you're unfamiliar, mini-LED has some advantages over the LCD and OLED displays you find on most devices out there on the market right now including the 2020 iPad Pro models. 

Mini-LED displays offer higher contrast. They're also less prone to some of the burn-in issues that sometimes plague OLED displays. 

They also provide deeper blacks, higher brightness, and they're also more power-efficient which could help improved overall battery life. 

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, think about holding out and waiting.  

We should also note that Apple is reportedly working on iPad Pro models with OLED displays. But again, those models are reportedly a long way out. 

According to Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis, Thomas O'Malley, and Tim Long, iPad Pro models with OLED displays will probably miss 2021. They believe the earliest launch window for these devices is 2022. 

Digitimes believes iPad and MacBook models with OLED displays will arrive in 2022. 

The publication claims Apple will release a 10.9-inch iPad with an OLED display in early 2022. The company is also reportedly considering an OLED 12.9-inch iPad Pro.