12.9-inch iPad Pro with mini LED display is reported to be launched in the first quarter of 2021

Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Mini-LED display will be launched in the first quarter of 2021, according to a new report from DigiTimes. The report alleges that Apple has diversified its display and touch panel supply chain, with BOE finally gaining approval to supply OLED panels for the iPhone and GIS, which will now supply touch panels for both the iPhone and the upcoming iPad Pro.

GIS approved investments of NT $ 2.198 billion (US $ 76.3 million) and NT $ 1.421 billion proposed by its subsidiary in Chengdu, China in August and November 2020, respectively, with the resources to focus on expanding production capacity for integrated touch modules used in tablets, the sources said. The subsidiary will invest an additional NT $ 753 million to improve the automation of the production line. The subsidiary currently manufactures integrated touch modules for iPads and MacBooks, the sources said.

In addition to iPhones, GIS will produce integrated touch modules for 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ miniLED backlit panels to be launched in the first quarter of 2021, the sources said.

It has long been rumored that Apple is preparing a 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ with a ‌Mini-LED‌ display, which will offer a number of improvements over current iPad screens, including darker black, brighter bright, richer colors and better contrast. Using thousands of individual LEDs to illuminate the screen, the technology should provide many of the benefits of OLED displays, but without some of the drawbacks of that technology.

Previous reports, including from noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, have indicated that the ‌Mini-LED‌ ‌iPad Pro‌ will release sometime in the first half of 2021, but today’s report from DigiTimes indicates that the debut is expected in the early part of that time frame.

Looking beyond the next-gen ‌iPad Pro‌, there are a number of reports claiming that Apple is considering switching the line to OLED display technology, although it seems unlikely that Apple will switch to ‌Mini-LED‌ only briefly before the weather switches to OLED. A rumor claimed that the OLED ‌iPad Pro‌ will be launched in the second half of 2021, but a more recent report claims the change will take place in 2022 at the earliest.