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iPad Pro iPad Pro Blooming discussion [merged]
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So I’ve had my 2021 iPad Pro 12.9 for about a week and a half now. Blooming was worse than I expected it to be when I first witnessed it for the first time. This is in low-light situations with dark mode/white text on black backgrounds. I expected the screen to be broken up into smaller squares of mini-LEDs. If there’s just one small element on the screen that’s light against a background of black, there’s a pretty big area/portion of the screen of blooming around it. YouTube videos create a good section of blooming on the borders of the video before the screen becomes pure black.
At first, it motivated me to try using non-pure black versions of dark mode in apps (Twitter and Apollo), but then I realized this was just me basically turning the mini-LED screen into the same LCD screens with a low contrast ratio that’s been on the iPad for years, so then I went back to using the pure black dark modes.
I’m just sort of accepting and living with it now. In most situations (daytime, lots of elements of various brightness on screen, light mode, lighter dark modes), you will never notice blooming. This screen is still the best screen I can get on an iPad and the best iPad I can get. I still view the LCD screens as worse, and they objectively, by numbers are worse. However, I very much value pure blacks, and this confirmed my suspicion that mini-LED would feel like a stopgap for OLED technology in the iPad. It does feel like a stopgap. I look forward to the day that the iPad has OLED. However, I do appreciate the mini-LED technology and the improvements it has made over the LCD iPad screens for the meantime.
At first, it motivated me to try using non-pure black versions of dark mode in apps (Twitter and Apollo), but then I realized this was just me basically turning the mini-LED screen into the same LCD screens with a low contrast ratio that’s been on the iPad for years, so then I went back to using the pure black dark modes.
I’m just sort of accepting and living with it now. In most situations (daytime, lots of elements of various brightness on screen, light mode, lighter dark modes), you will never notice blooming. This screen is still the best screen I can get on an iPad and the best iPad I can get. I still view the LCD screens as worse, and they objectively, by numbers are worse. However, I very much value pure blacks, and this confirmed my suspicion that mini-LED would feel like a stopgap for OLED technology in the iPad. It does feel like a stopgap. I look forward to the day that the iPad has OLED. However, I do appreciate the mini-LED technology and the improvements it has made over the LCD iPad screens for the meantime.
I've had my 2021 iPad Pro 12.9 for about a week now, and before buying it, I read the whole thread. At the same time I had the 11", and it was not so impressive comparing it to my iPad mini 5. I was long contemplating whether or not to get the 12.9. Finally I pulled the trigger, and I will never look back to a non miniLED display.
I can simply say that the blooming is a non issue for me. I was aware how and where to see it, and yes I do see it. In the rare occasions when I am watching a movie in pitch black, I see it on the UI elements of the player, and in some apps like Notes. I don't see it the content playing, or if I see it so very subtle and part of the light phenomena when watching in a pitch dark room.
I think this is a completely overblown issue, compared to the awesomeness of this display. I can't speak or judge if it was worse in iOS prior to 15 - if Apple improved it in 15 vs 14, I can only say well done.
Understanding the display technology and its limitations, I can say nothing else but well done Apple.
I can simply say that the blooming is a non issue for me. I was aware how and where to see it, and yes I do see it. In the rare occasions when I am watching a movie in pitch black, I see it on the UI elements of the player, and in some apps like Notes. I don't see it the content playing, or if I see it so very subtle and part of the light phenomena when watching in a pitch dark room.
I think this is a completely overblown issue, compared to the awesomeness of this display. I can't speak or judge if it was worse in iOS prior to 15 - if Apple improved it in 15 vs 14, I can only say well done.
Understanding the display technology and its limitations, I can say nothing else but well done Apple.
Yeah, that's what I'm saying all the time. You can see it but it simply doesn't matter 95% of the time (or even more).
I'm excited, we keep these expensive iPads for many years and the next one will probably be even better than this. And I'm someone who prefers the image of an LCD over OLED, any day.
I'm excited, we keep these expensive iPads for many years and the next one will probably be even better than this. And I'm someone who prefers the image of an LCD over OLED, any day.
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I've had my iPad Pro for over a month now, and I have to admit that I've noticed the blooming more frequently. For instance, it sometimes occurs on the black bands of letterboxed videos -- and not always when the scene is brightly lit. It was happening during a night scene on The Walking Dead. At other times, with brightly lit scenes, it doesn't happen at all. This is very puzzling. Still, I only see it when I'm watching videos at night in bed with all the lights off. If there's any ambient light in the room, I don't notice it at all. Knowing what I know now, would I buy it again? Absolutely. 99% of the time, for all the things I do on the iPad, it's not an issue, and the display is the best I've ever seen. The occasional blooming, for me, is less bothersome than the total lack of pure blacks on my 2017 standard iPad.
I remember thinking, “Eh, this screen is cool, but the old one’s just as good.” Then I put them side by side
Couldn’t believe how glowing the blacks were!See, this is why I don’t like mini-LED and prefer OLED. I was trying to watch a documentary in a dark room before bed on my 12.9” iPP, but the black levels are no different compared to the LCD iPads due to the blooming. When you have a video with some blacks on the screen, there’s too much around and the mini-LED squares are too large that it just looks like a normal washed out, low contrast LCD display. The mini-LED squares are so large too that the black bars above and below the video are lit up just like LCD iPads.
Yes, mini-LED is an improvement over LCD, but the blooming ruins it for me compared to OLED.
Yes, mini-LED is an improvement over LCD, but the blooming ruins it for me compared to OLED.
Hmmm "no different" in terms of black levels, you say?
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I read all “no difference” comparisons as “I’m being hyperbolic” now.
I, too, have both and I didn’t think there was much difference until I fired up my old iPad Pro to troubleshoot an issue. I was amazed that I’d felt the old one was actually black all this time Yeah.
The mini-LED in the 16” M1 Max is even able to replicate the black bezels so you don’t even know the notch is there.
Mini-LED can be pure 100% black.
Hello, perhaps this has been adressed already but lately I’ve been using my ipad at dark with a very low brigtness (5%) and the screen turns on more zones than it should, i replicated what I see in the next picture.
And this is not blooming because when you move the slide over a little bit you can see how the little squares start to turn on and also the screen is at 5% brightness is like the mini led renders the content 3 or 4 times its size. if it was done correctly most of these zones should be as you can see. (this is ‘rocreate using a canvas of pure black where only the ui should be turning on the screen)
I hope the picture is clear (is a bit messy because of the grid i know)
And this is not blooming because when you move the slide over a little bit you can see how the little squares start to turn on and also the screen is at 5% brightness is like the mini led renders the content 3 or 4 times its size. if it was done correctly most of these zones should be as you can see. (this is ‘rocreate using a canvas of pure black where only the ui should be turning on the screen)
I hope the picture is clear (is a bit messy because of the grid i know)
Just watch the mini-LED that is on the Mac line up. It goes 100% pure black as you cannot see the notch when the aspect ratio is changed.
It is even able to replicate older MAC as it can exactly replicate the thick bezels of older MAC's if you choose a non-native resolution.
LCD cannot do this.
I have the exactly same problem. So, if this is not blooming what is it?
I discovered this issue with the very first 10 sec of this LG promo video on YouTube
Plus, I read on Reddit that some user have replaced their iPad and the new unit has little to no blooming issues
I just got a 2021 , and still have my 2020. To these 61 year old eyes, the difference is very ,very good. I have OMPD, or known as ocular muscular dystrophy, so the 2021 12.9 is a god send. I know you young people here probably could notice blooming, but to me, the 2021 is the best screen of any Apple product I’ve owned for 25 plus years.
It’s possible. If a human being wants very much to believe a thing, like that a replacement system is much better than the one they had, they’ll believe it and it would be difficult to convince them otherwise.