Kuo: Mini-LED 12.9-inch iPad Pro to Enter Mass Production in 'Mid-to-Late April'

Apple's new 12.9-inch mini-LED iPad Pro will enter mass production in the second half of April, according to a new note by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The prediction adds further credence to a Bloomberg report just yesterday that said next month would be the earliest time we should expect the new models to appear.

iPad Pro Mini LED
In an investors note obtained by MacRumors, Kuo says that mass production for the new ‌iPad Pro‌ with a mini-LED display will now begin in "mid-to-late April."

We expect EMS to start mass production of mini LED iPads beginning mid to late April. The supply bottleneck, TSMT's yield rate, will increase significantly in 2Q21, and overall supply chain shipment momentum will also increase significantly in 2H21.

We have predicted in several previous reports that the mini LED iPad will be mass-produced in 1H21. Although this mass production date is slower than the market’s overly-optimistic expectation of February or March, it will provide a good entry point if the related supply chain stock price corrects.

Over the past few days, there has been widespread chatter about a possible event on March 23, when Apple was said to be to announcing the new 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ with a mini-LED display, amongst other products.

Credible sources such as Bloomberg and ‌Ming-Chi Kuo‌ have now both signaled that no launches will take place before April, and as things stand, it looks like there will be no March announcement from Apple either, despite earlier claims by some leakers.

The new 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ is expected to have "on par" performance with the performance of the M1 Apple Silicon. It's also rumored to include a Thunderbolt port and improved cameras. The device is expected to adopt mini-LED display technology, which offers improved brightness, improved contrast ratios, and color in its larger 12.9-inch iPad model. However, the smaller 11-inch variant is not expected to be updated with the mini-LED display technology anytime soon, according to rumors.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Two Breakthrough Features

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:26 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include two standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
ipad black friday 2025

The Best Early Black Friday iPad Deals

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:20 am PST by
Black Friday is just over a week away, and iPad deals have finally started to flood in at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Below we're tracking discounts on every current generation iPad, including lowest-ever prices on M3 iPad Air and M5 iPad Pro, plus steep markdowns on iPad and iPad mini. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
61 months ago
Not sure where there is a delay coming from. But it will be released when it’s ready
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kiranmk2 Avatar
61 months ago
If this gets delayed too much it will fall into the old iPad trap of launching and then being outperformed by the next iPhone a few months later (I expect A15 single core performance to exceed A14X performance).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jimmy_uk Avatar
61 months ago
Damn, I was looking forward to new toys this month.

Apple struggled to keep up with demand for all its 2020 products so this is possibly the cause in timetable shift.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
61 months ago
My strategy is wait until the end of the year, then wait a few more months for a good discount.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
61 months ago
I hope these models have more RAM. I get app refreshes all the time, especially Safari and Music.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newyorksole Avatar
61 months ago

I haven’t said anything in particular about Kuo, I don’t keep track of who has said what. However, there have been rumours for the mini-led iPad Pro for quite a long time and today is the first time we are hearing the mass production will start in April. This suggests launch in the second half of the year which is also something we are hearing about for the first time.
I find it VERY hard to believe that the mass production will start in April. For such a major product I would expect it to be released at a Spring Event and not WWDC and definitely not a September or October Special Event.

Either way... I’m itching to see this thing.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)