Apple is purportedly ramping up mini-LED chip production and bringing more manufacturers into its supply chain to meet demand for new devices in 2022, DigiTimes reports.
Apple has expanded its use of mini-LED technology over the past three years and currently offers three devices that feature mini-LED displays: The Pro Display XDR, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and the high-end MacBook Pro. The company is expected to have several new devices with mini-LED displays in the pipeline for launch this year, including the 11-inch iPad Pro, 27-inch iMac Pro, redesigned MacBook Air, and potentially even new external displays.
Taiwan's Epistar is currently Apple's main supplier of mini-LED chips, but the company's growing number of devices with mini-LED displays has reportedly forced it to seek additional suppliers. Citing industry sources, DigiTimes claims that China's Sanan Optoelectronics is significantly undercutting the prices of Apple's current suppliers and has now been granted certification to supply the company with chips for mini-LED backlit displays.
Apple's demand for mini-LED display technology is "expected to significantly increase in 2022," according to DigiTimes, likely due to the continued success of the high-end MacBook Pro Models as well as the launch of new devices. To meet Apple's growing demand, Epistar is expanding its production facilities in China to ramp up production starting in the second quarter of 2022, and Sanan Optoelectronics could begin shipments around the same time.
Mini-LED display technology, which Apple brands as "Liquid Retina XDR" displays, can offer deeper, darker blacks, with better overall contrast, although, unlike OLED displays, they can suffer from a phenomenon called "blooming." Mini-LED displays can also show brighter, richer colors and offer additional benefits such as thinner designs, better power efficiency, and less risk of burn-in or degradation.
