MacBook Air and iPad Air could get new displays in 2022
The future is bright
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We recentlyreported on rumorsregarding what to expect from thenext generation of iPad Pros– but both the iPad Air and MacBook Air look set to receive some pretty impressive display updates next year, too.
Reliable analystMing-Chi Kuo(who has become something of an unofficial spokesperson forAppleof late) has suggested the 2022 MacBook Air will feature a Mini-LED display – of the sort expected to arrive with the larger variant of the nextiPad Pro– while the 2022 iPad Air will benefit from an OLED display.
The currentMacBook Air (M1, 2020)boasts an already-impressive Retina True Tone display, but Mini-LED tech would bring improved contrast ratios and color reproduction to the device, making its display even more suited to professionals who work in visual mediums.
Kuo suggests that because Mini-LED display technology is more expensive, Apple’s next iPad Air models will instead benefit fromOLEDscreens to ensure these devices remain the most affordable entry in the iPad range.
This doesn’t come at the expense of an upgrade over its predecessor, though, since an OLED display would mark an improvement on the iPad Air’s current Liquid Retina display – which, again, is already mightily impressive considering its $599 / £579 / AU$899 price tag.
Too bright for some
Kuo also adds that Apple has no plans to bring OLED to its high productivity devices because of “burn-in concerns” – when visible marks are effectively ‘burned in’ to the display due to fixed images remaining on the screen for a long period of time.
This is particularly problematic for users who work with visually-demanding software over many hours, hence why (as well as its increased cost) Apple is likely to instead bring Mini-LED technology to its premium devices – the 2022 MacBook Air, the largest 2021 iPad Pro and, aspreviously reported, the new MacBook Pro, which is expected to land this year.
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For most iPad users, though, an OLED display would be unlikely to pose the same burn-in concerns, and instead mark a noticeable upgrade over existing iPad displays. Apple fans should be excited, then, to see OLED technology arrive on the new iPad Pros (aside from the 12.9-inch model) as well as the next iPad Air tablets.
In any case, the future seems bright for whichever new Apple device you’re on the look-out for next.
Via9to5Mac
Axel is TechRadar’s UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site’s Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.
Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.
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