According to analyst Ross Young, Apple seems to be ready to equip the upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Air with a significant display upgrade. This move will bring the iPad Air closer to the high-end 12.9-inch iPad Pro in terms of display technology.
Currently, the standard 10.9-inch iPad Air uses a traditional LCD panel. The new model is expected to feature Mini-LED technology, which will provide increased brightness for HDR content playback, deeper blacks for improved contrast, and lower power consumption for longer battery life. This technology is the same as the technology currently used in the top-of-the-line 12.9-inch iPad Pro and MacBook Pro laptops.
Specific details of the 12.9-inch iPad Air display have not yet been confirmed, but it could potentially match the characteristics of the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro: a 2D backlight system with full-scale local dimming zones, a resolution of 2732 x 2048 (264 ppi), support for ProMotion adaptive refresh rate technology, and a peak brightness of 1,600 nits for HDR content.
While the iPad Air will receive an upgrade to a Mini-LED display, rumors suggest that Apple may reserve next-generation OLED display technology for the upcoming iPad Pro. It is expected that these new iPad Pro models will also be powered by the M3 chip and possibly accompanied by the new Apple Pencil 3.
Reportedly, Apple is planning a quiet launch of these new tablets, probably in the second week of May, without a special press conference.
