M1 iPad Pro mini-LED display isn't as good as some users hoped

By Shane McGlaun/

It's only been about a week since Apple revealed its new M1 iPad Pro featuring the Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display. Apple says that the mini-LED screen is designed specifically to minimize blooming effects. Still, some device users have noticed significant levels of blooming, particularly with bright objects on a dark background. Blooming occurs when a particular area of the screen is lit up while areas around it are not, resulting in part of the screen being brighter than its neighboring zone.

Blooming is particularly noticeable on the screen in areas like the black startup screen with the Apple logo. As can be seen in the tweet below, there is a noticeably brighter area around the logo which should be completely black like most of the screen. Apple's support documents say that the display is designed to improve what it terms "trade-offs" typical of local dimming screen systems. Apple says the extreme brightness of LEDs can cause a slight blooming effect.

However, what's being seen in the real world is by many opinions, much more than a slight blooming effect. As technology fans often do today, many are taking to social media to complain about the blooming effects. It's hard to debate that the blooming being seen in the real world is significantly higher than what Apple showed during its reveal event.

Twitter user Josh Teder shared some images of his new M1 iPad Pro, noting that he only really notices the blooming issue with UI elements on top of a black background. He also points out that it's "jarring" coming from OLED.

Teder does say the screen is an improvement compared to the last generation. Certainly, different users will have different opinions of the display technology. Rumors have suggested that Apple might begin using OLED display technology for its iPad and MacBook devices starting in 2022.

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