We've all heard the rumors that the MacBook Pro 2021 model will have a mini LED display. But what about the MacBook Air? Unfortunately, that upgrade may have to wait until next year.

This is according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via 9to5Mac), who claims that Apple may release a MacBook Air 2022 with a 13.3-inch mini LED display.

The prospect of Apple upgrading its hardware with a mini-LED has been rumored for almost a year. The first of these came earlier this year in the form of a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with mini-LEDs, and there are plenty of rumors suggesting that the anticipated (but as yet unconfirmed) 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro 2021 models will follow.

It was only a matter of time before we started hearing rumors that Apple would give the MacBook Air the same treatment. However, it may be some time before this hypothetical device comes to fruition. According to Kuo, the launch would be in "early 2022," but the analyst was not more specific than that.

The mini-LEDs offer many advantages over the LCD panels that Apple has traditionally included in its notebooks.

Instead of using a single backlight for the entire screen, mini-LED technology uses hundreds of tiny LED clusters. These mini-LED displays are more energy efficient, have higher brightness, higher contrast, and deeper blacks than LCDs. While OLEDs are superior in many respects, mini-LEDs also have less screen burn-in. Furthermore, mini-LEDs use inorganic gallium nitrate, which does not degrade over time.

In addition, recent rumors suggest that the next MacBook Air will feature the Apple M2 chip. It may be more power efficient than the M1X chip rumored to be in the next MacBook Pro, but from what we've heard, it will offer better performance than the current M1 chip.

However, we doubt Apple will confirm or deny this information. That is, if the MacBook Air 2022 is not postponed like the MacBook Pro in 2021.

If you're looking for a new Macbook Air right now, it's probably not worth waiting to upgrade, especially considering how well the M1-equipped MacBook Air has done. But if you can afford to be patient, it may pay off in the long run.