iPad Pro Is Mini LED better for non-video content?

[Esopus]

I still find myself torn between the 11" and 12.9" iPad Pro. My intended use case does not include much in the way of video consumption, so I'm wondering what (if any) benefit the Mini LED / XDR display will bring to my workflow.

Many comments I read on this forum seem pretty convinced that the XDR will be an all-round better (brighter, better contrast, more colour accurate) display for not just HDR video but for all types of content. Is this really the case?

Apple's specs state that the "max brightness" for both the 11" and 12.9" XDR is 600 nits, with a seperate "peak brightness (HDR)" spec for the 12.9" of 1,600 nits. This implies to me that there is zero difference in brightness between the two models when it comes to everything but HDR video. Am I mistaken?

Following on from this, will I see much in the way of improved contrast in content outside of HDR video? Do the dimming zones turn off if parts of a webpage have a black background, for instance? Will dark text on a light background see any improved contrast, or are the dimming zones too large for there to be a difference?

Finally, is there a risk the XDR will suffer from bloom, making it less than ideal for things like photo editing? And do the Mini LEDs ensure there is less risk of backlight uniformity problems with the display?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm trying to wrap my head around this new technology and the enthusiasm I'm seeing on this forum for it. Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

 

[velocityg4]

Honestly, for those questions. I'd wait for a pro review from the likes of Tomshardware.com or notebookcheck.net. Where they usually do real tests of the display. Getting the likes of the Delta E, screen uniformity, contrast and color gamut. Although not all their reviews are so thorough.

 

[AutomaticApple]

I still find myself torn between the 11" and 12.9" iPad Pro. My intended use case does not include much in the way of video consumption, so I'm wondering what (if any) benefit the Mini LED / XDR display will bring to my workflow.

Many comments I read on this forum seem pretty convinced that the XDR will be an all-round better (brighter, better contrast, more colour accurate) display for not just HDR video but for all types of content. Is this really the case?

Apple's specs state that the "max brightness" for both the 11" and 12.9" XDR is 600 nits, with a seperate "peak brightness (HDR)" spec for the 12.9" of 1,600 nits. This implies to me that there is zero difference in brightness between the two models when it comes to everything but HDR video. Am I mistaken?

Following on from this, will I see much in the way of improved contrast in content outside of HDR video? Do the dimming zones turn off if parts of a webpage have a black background, for instance? Will dark text on a light background see any improved contrast, or are the dimming zones too large for there to be a difference?

Finally, is there a risk the XDR will suffer from bloom, making it less than ideal for things like photo editing? And do the Mini LEDs ensure there is less risk of backlight uniformity problems with the display?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm trying to wrap my head around this new technology and the enthusiasm I'm seeing on this forum for it. Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

Wait for reviews to come out.

 

[JPack]

Apple's specs state that the "max brightness" for both the 11" and 12.9" XDR is 600 nits, with a seperate "peak brightness (HDR)" spec for the 12.9" of 1,600 nits. This implies to me that there is zero difference in brightness between the two models when it comes to everything but HDR video. Am I mistaken?

Full-screen brightness of the 12.9" model is 1,000 nits vs. 600 nits for the 11".

 

[TylerYYC]

You'll have pitch black blacks with the local dimming zones, even in non-video content. Also the brightness is 1,000 nits not 600.

 

[Gandek]

I find both 500 and 600 nits on iPads to be really underwhelming for any outdoor use, so that 1000 nits is going to be REALLY nice trust me.

 

[TheRealAlex]

I still find myself torn between the 11" and 12.9" iPad Pro. My intended use case does not include much in the way of video consumption, so I'm wondering what (if any) benefit the Mini LED / XDR display will bring to my workflow.

Many comments I read on this forum seem pretty convinced that the XDR will be an all-round better (brighter, better contrast, more colour accurate) display for not just HDR video but for all types of content. Is this really the case?

Apple's specs state that the "max brightness" for both the 11" and 12.9" XDR is 600 nits, with a seperate "peak brightness (HDR)" spec for the 12.9" of 1,600 nits. This implies to me that there is zero difference in brightness between the two models when it comes to everything but HDR video. Am I mistaken?

Following on from this, will I see much in the way of improved contrast in content outside of HDR video? Do the dimming zones turn off if parts of a webpage have a black background, for instance? Will dark text on a light background see any improved contrast, or are the dimming zones too large for there to be a difference?

Finally, is there a risk the XDR will suffer from bloom, making it less than ideal for things like photo editing? And do the Mini LEDs ensure there is less risk of backlight uniformity problems with the display?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm trying to wrap my head around this new technology and the enthusiasm I'm seeing on this forum for it. Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

I was worried about the bloom issue but I remember Apple has the best engineers on Earth I’m sure they addressed this issue already. And secondly, 2500 zones in a 13” panel is a lot
I mostly got the 12.9” because I swore I never would but after 2.5 years almost with a 2018 11” Pro $455 trade in is impossible to turn down. And my battery has to be at 80% degraded. So it’s a must upgrade.

And we all love to think of “Dream Specs” and the 12.9” XDR iPad Pro smashes all those Specs

#1. M1 CPU 8 CPU and 8 GPU cores that’s 16 Cores that can work together
#2. 8GB base model RAM
#3. XDR Wide color HDR 120hz Display 1000nits
#4. full spec Thunderbolt 3 port
#5. WiFI 6
#6. 128GB base high speed internal storage

 

[Kierkegaarden]

What is the best use cases for the XDR screen? I would imagine photo/video editing, watching video, gaming. What about reading and note taking — would the XDR screen make any noticeable difference? Will backlight uniformity improve with both models?

 

[LFC2020]

You'll have pitch black blacks with the local dimming zones, even in non-video content. Also the brightness is 1,000 nits not 600.

No chance it'll have deep blacks like oled.

1000 nits at full brightness, no one uses their iPad at full brightness, so it’s 600 nits in everyday use, useless feature, I’d rather a oled display.

 

[Esopus]

Full-screen brightness of the 12.9" model is 1,000 nits vs. 600 nits for the 11".

You'll have pitch black blacks with the local dimming zones, even in non-video content. Also the brightness is 1,000 nits not 600.

I find both 500 and 600 nits on iPads to be really underwhelming for any outdoor use, so that 1000 nits is going to be REALLY nice trust me.

Does the "1,000 nits" full screen brightness really apply outside of HDR content, though? People keep telling me it does but I'm not sure what the basis for this claim is. I agree it'd be fantastic for outdoor use, if it does!

Apple's specs for the 12.9" XDR gives three measurements: "600 nits max brightness" and then on a separate line "1,000 nits max full-screen brightness; 1,600 nits peak brightness (HDR)". This implies to me that for all non-HDR content the brightness will be exactly the same as the 11".

My limited experience with Pro Display XDR makes me feel that it will work in a similar way to the 12.9" XDR, with the maximum user selectable brightness being 500 nits and the headline brightness figures of 1,000 nits (full screen) and 1,600 nits (peak) only kicking in when HDR video is being played. This is backed up by various reviews and comments, such as on MacRumors:

figured out the "full truth" of the brightness levels on the XDR. So in standard display mode (even when set to HDR 1600 nits) the max nits is actually around 500. The same/similar to the iMac 5K screens. The 1,000 sustained nits only comes into play when watching actual HDR content, using the HDR 1,600 mode.

For anyone wondering, I did determine that the Pro Display XDR is, in fact, only able to display brightnesses over 500 nits when displaying actual HDR content (which for most users, is not something we come across very often). As a photographer, this is disappointing. iPhone photos are HDR and therefore can display up to 1600 nits, while RAW photos from my high end camera are locked at 500 nits. I don't really understand why the display works this way, and for people who edit HDR video footage for a living I'm sure it's fantastic, but for me it's kind of a let down.

To be clear, I'm not saying I think it's in any way a bad display, but when one of the main selling points appears to be the brightness, I feel like it's disingenuous for Apple to not more adequately communicate that for most people the brightness is locked at 500 nits 99% of the time.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

This is one of those things a person needs to see with their own eyes to see if the difference is worth it or not. What is worth it to one person, may not be worth it to another.

 

[Broadus]

What is the best use cases for the XDR screen? I would imagine photo/video editing, watching video, gaming. What about reading and note taking — would the XDR screen make any noticeable difference? Will backlight uniformity improve with both models?

Those are the questions that I have. Reading on a 12.9” screen is why I pre-ordered a 2021 M1 iPP to replace my 2017 10.5” iPP. I’m not sure that the mini-LED will make a noticeable difference for my usage, so I canceled my pre-order and am awaiting online reviews and seeing one on display at the end of the month.

Right now I’m trying to avert being too hasty and buying a 2020 because I’m tired of trying to find answers that probably won’t be known until Apple deigns to allow the public to handle the M1 iPP. We’ll know more in a couple of weeks, but this will have been a long wait for those who’ve put off buying a 2020 iPP.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

Those are the questions that I have. Reading on a 12.9” screen is why I pre-ordered a 2021 M1 iPP to replace my 2017 10.5” iPP. I’m not sure that the mini-LED will make a noticeable difference for my usage, so I canceled my pre-order and am awaiting online reviews and seeing one on display at the end of the month.

Right now I’m trying to avert being too hasty and buying a 2020 because I’m tired of trying to find answers that probably won’t be known until Apple deigns to allow the public to handle the M1 iPP. We’ll know more in a couple of weeks, but this will have been a long wait for those who’ve put off buying a 2020 iPP.

It sounds like you’ll be upgrading — you’re just undecided on the 12.9 vs 11?

For me, the decision was 2020 12.9 or 2021 11. I went with the latter. If I worked with photos and video, it would be the 2021 12.9 definitely — but like you, my main usage is reading so I’m not sure if the miniLED will be beneficial for that. If it’s better for my eyes though, I would invest the extra money and get the 2021 12.9 model. Having a whole library of books on an iPad is pretty neat!

 

[Broadus]

It sounds like you’ll be upgrading — you’re just undecided on the 12.9 vs 11?

For me, the decision was 2020 12.9 or 2021 11. I went with the latter. If I worked with photos and video, it would be the 2021 12.9 definitely — but like you, my main usage is reading so I’m not sure if the miniLED will be beneficial for that. If it’s better for my eyes though, I would invest the extra money and get the 2021 12.9 model. Having a whole library of books on an iPad is pretty neat!

My iPad usage is primarily about reading something, whether downloaded books or online news/opinion pieces or forums or research of one thing or another with a bit of YouTube mixed in.

My struggle is deciding between the 2020 12.9” or 2021 12.9”. I want to move to the larger screen. When the 2021 12.9” was reported, I saw this as a major improvement in an already great screen.

600 nits seemed to be increased to 1000 for daily usage. Finally a good outdoors screen, I thought, but it seems that 1000 has more to do with video, that 600 seems to remain the top usable brightness.

Same thing with the mini-LEDs themselves. My initial take was that there would be better contrast for reading, but now I’m not so sure. That also seems more for video.

So now I await reviews and hopefully to see one in person. But I don’t want to let easy access to a 2020 12.9” get away as discounts will hopefully increase but stock will become less readily available. It’s tempting to order a 2020 now while the price is $899 for 256Gb at Costco. I may order it and leave it unopened until I better understand the upgraded 12.9” screen. If the 2021 12.9” is an improvement for reading, I’ll return it in new condition and try to find what will probably be a scarce 2021 12.9”.

 

[the future]

Those are the questions that I have. Reading on a 12.9” screen is why I pre-ordered a 2021 M1 iPP to replace my 2017 10.5” iPP. I’m not sure that the mini-LED will make a noticeable difference for my usage.

For me, the decision was 2020 12.9 or 2021 11. I went with the latter. If I worked with photos and video, it would be the 2021 12.9 definitely — but like you, my main usage is reading so I’m not sure if the miniLED will be beneficial for that. If it’s better for my eyes though, I would invest the extra money and get the 2021 12.9 model. Having a whole library of books on an iPad is pretty neat!

Judging by a comparison of reading on an OLED iPhone vs. on a 2018 LCD iPad Pro, I absolutely expect the mini LED display to make a (positive) difference for reading — but mostly in dark mode. In “normal“ mode, not so much.

 

[Broadus]

Judging by a comparison of reading on an OLED iPhone vs. on a 2018 LCD iPad Pro, I absolutely expect the mini LED display to make a (positive) difference for reading — but mostly in dark mode. In “normal“ mode, not so much.

Because the background will be more distinct from the white text, making the text appear more crisp?

 

[the future]

Because the background will be more distinct from the white text, making the text appear more crisp?

Exactly! Because the background is darker, the contrast ratio is higher, making text more crisp and legible. Apple claims 1.000.000:1 for the new 12.9“ model. (AFAIK Apple never specified this for older iPad models but it was certainly much lower as these kind of contrast ratios are only achievable with OLED or, now, mini LED).

 

[wolfboy]

Exactly! Because the background is darker, the contrast ratio is higher, making text more crisp and legible. Apple claims 1.000.000:1 for the new 12.9“ model. (AFAIK Apple never specified this for older iPad models but it was certainly much lower as these kind of contrast ratios are only achievable with OLED or, now, mini LED).

It's 1800:1 for the LCD iPads. Solid specs, but not OLED.

 

[nicetriangles]

1000 nits at full brightness, no one uses their iPad at full brightness, so it’s 600 nits in everyday use, useless feature, I’d rather a oled display.

I guess you've never tried to use one outside bere

 

[the future]

It's 1800:1 for the LCD iPads. Solid specs, but not OLED.

Who measured this? Because Apple never specified these numbers, right?

These kinds of things are to be taken with a grain of salt wrt to hard numbers anyway. 1.000.000:1 for the new 12.9“ is more like a theoretical ratio as well. In principle, OLED has „infinite“ contrast ratio because the value of a completely black pixel is 0. The takeaway should be that the contrast ratio of the display of the new 12.9 will very probably be noticeably better than that of any iPad display released before. Which is awesome.

 

[Broadus]

1000 nits at full brightness, no one uses their iPad at full brightness, so it’s 600 nits in everyday use, useless feature, I’d rather a oled display.

I guess you've never tried to use one outside bere

1000 nits would probably be needed for sunny daylight viewing.

 

[Aetherhole]

I really think that the 1000nit peak fullscreen brightness/1600nit peak brightness is for HDR content ONLY and is NOT sustainable. In order to create that much light output for a sustained period of time is going to deplete the battery at a significant rate.

I think we're only going to see 500-600nit typical brightness for SDR content (basically everything else) is what should be expected. Maybe they'll increase it higher, but my guess is sustaining anything close to 1000nits is not going to happen.

 

[TheRealAlex]

No chance it'll have deep blacks like oled.

1000 nits at full brightness, no one uses their iPad at full brightness, so it’s 600 nits in everyday use, useless feature, I’d rather a oled display.

View attachment 1770483

But it can not sustain max brightness for more than a few minutes at most.

 

[Broadus]

I really think that the 1000nit peak fullscreen brightness/1600nit peak brightness is for HDR content ONLY and is NOT sustainable. In order to create that much light output for a sustained period of time is going to deplete the battery at a significant rate.

I think we're only going to see 500-600nit typical brightness for SDR content (basically everything else) is what should be expected. Maybe they'll increase it higher, but my guess is sustaining anything close to 1000nits is not going to happen.

I suspect you're right. I would love to see 750, but I rarely need to read outside on a sunny day.

 

[pdoherty]

(never mind)