MacBook Air Rumor Claims Mini LED Screen Tech Is Coming

Apple fans are always anticipating the next round of products from Cupertino. Recently, a new rumor began making the rounds that started with noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Today, Kuo issued an investor note that claims the next-generation MacBook Air will feature a 13.3-inch mini LED display. The current generation MacBook air uses a Retina display of the same size utilizing traditional LED backlighting.

Mini LED screen technology offers a significant boost in performance thanks to localized dimming. The technology can deliver significantly increased contrast ratios, deeper Blacks, and higher peak brightness compared to current screen technology. The first product from Apple to feature mini LED technology was the 12.9-inch iPad Pro that debuted this year in April.

Apple calls the screen tech on the iPad Pro Liquid Retina XDR, and it has over 10,000 mini LEDs grouped in 2596 local dimming zones. Using the technology, an LCD has contrast ratios that are comparable to those of OLED. Apple is expected to adopt mini LED technology for most of its products, with rumors suggesting the MacBook Pro could get the screen tech this year.

In the case of the iPad Pro that launched in April, only the larger 12.9-inch model received the new screen technology. However, Kuo says that both the smaller 14-inch and the larger 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops will get the mini LED upgrade.

Previous rumors suggested that the long-overdue replacement for the current iPad mini will also receive mini LED screen technology. Another tidbit Kuo mentioned in his investor note was that Apple added a company called Sunrex to its supply chain. According to the analyst, the company will provide light guides for MacBook Air scissor switch keyboards. The updated MacBook Air is expected to land in mid-2022.