Performance Analysis

Apple iPad Pro MiniLED 12.9” visual performance and optical construction analysis

By Piseo — Oct 2022

Do 10,000 MiniLEDs in the Apple iPad Pro 12.9” make a difference compared to Edge-lit tablets?

A unique technical report combining user-based visual performance analysis and an in-depth optical stack teardown.

Report objectives

After several years full of announcements, Mini Light Emitting Diode (LED) backlights are coming to the market. According to the manufacturers’ claims, they will allow Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) to reach contrast performance close to Organic LEDs (OLEDs) while providing high brightness. They also offer reduced power consumption, a very thin form factor and cost/price competitiveness with OLEDs.

After releasing the Pro Display XDR in 2020, Apple released its MiniLED-based iPad Pro 12.9” last year, together with the iPad Pro 11”.

To evaluate the benefits of this new type of backlights, DXOMARK and PISÉO, respectively leaders in the assessment of consumer electronics quality and photonic system architecture, have teamed up to produce this report.

To evaluate the difference of display quality between the two tablets, DXOMARK carried out visual and battery performance measurements. This report presents the test results and the performance comparison.

To understand the technology of the iPad Pro 12.9” backlight, PISÉO has analyzed the optical architecture of the unit. The report includes a description of the six optical films integrated between the MiniLED array and the LCD panel.

Based on their own analyses, DXOMARK and PISÉO have carried out a cross analysis to show the links between the user experience and backlight optical construction.

Approach to analysis

Tests and quality analysis compare the performance of Apple iPad 12.9” Pro Mini-LED LCD and iPad 11” Pro Edge-lit LCD tablets, based on DXOMARK protocol and covering:

readability
color
video at high and standard dynamic range (HDR and SDR)
artifacts
battery

To understand the technology of the iPad Pro 12.9” backlight, PISÉO has analyzed the optical architecture of the unit by:

disassembling the iPad Pro 12.9” to access the backlight unit
delayering the optical stack
analyzing the material and the mechanical structure of each layer
analyzing the optical properties of each layer
analyzing the LED emission characteristics and the local dimming features at LED board level

Main conclusions

MiniLED displays, and the future microLED displays, are clearly a disruption for the display industry. That is both in terms of performance, as analyzed in this report, but also in terms of supply chain. All the major consumer electronics manufacturers, like Apple, Samsung, TCL and Skyworth, and display device manufacturers are testing the market with new products, and adapting their supply chains. They are also trying to find differentiation in term of design, choices of the right display architecture as well as choice of the right components and modules.

This revolution is revealed by the YOLE Group’s different analysis capabilities. Teardown, supply chain and reverse costing is done by YOLE System Plus. Performance analysis is done by PISÉO. YOLE Intelligence studies company strategies and market evolution. Meanwhile, DXOMARK analyzes the visual performances of the display. Together, they have decided to launch a series of performance analysis reports to cover the most important MiniLED displays available on the market. So, after the iPad pro, we will release studies of the following TVs and monitors later this year:

Samsung TV MiniLED NEO QLED 65QN900A visual performance and optical construction analysis
Samsung Monitor MiniLED Odyssey Neo G9 visual performance and optical construction analysis
TCL 85X925 Pro 85” MiniLED 8K TV visual performance and optical construction analysis
Skyworth Q72 Smart MiniLED TV visual performance and optical construction analysis

As soon as these reports are available, we will inform you of their content. Step by step we will reveal the design differences of these displays, the supply chain choices, the key suppliers and new technologies implemented. If you want to know more, please contact us.

Key Features

Measurement and analysis of readability and color performance under different conditions, including ambient lighting, average picture level (APL) and viewing angle.

Measurement and analysis of brightness, contrast, and halo performance in video high and standard dynamic range (HDR and SDR) formats
Measurement and analysis of artifacts such as screen reflectance and flicker
Measurement and analysis of battery linearity and discharge current
Description of the MiniLED-based backlight unit technology
Details about LED emission characteristics
Main characteristics and roles of the different films in the optical stack
Backlight unit operation when displaying a simple scene

Product objectives

Provide test results and quality analysis to compare the performance of the Apple iPad 12.9” Pro Mini-LED LCD and iPad 11” Pro Edge-Lit LCD tablets
Giving insights into the optical architecture and explain how Apple managed the technical challenges
Showing how the new backlight optical construction contributes to the user experience
This analysis is intended for display system designers, system architects and marketing teams

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