Two bits of new tablet news for your Monday. 

The first is some Bloomberg reporting that suggests while Apple is facing a supply shortage of upcoming high-end Mini-LED iPad Pro displays, it will still launch in April. That means the problem might be actually getting one if that’s what you’re after:

That’s not because of the chip shortage necessarily, but low yields on manufacturing the cutting edge Mini-LED displays is causing difficulties:

• “But [Apple’s] overseas suppliers are dealing with poor manufacturing yields … At least one of the MiniLED makers has had to recently pause production as a result.
• Apple still intends to announce updated iPad Pro tablets in two sizes as early as this month, other people familiar with its product road map said. 
• The MiniLED screen, which will improve contrast ratios and deliver a brighter picture, will be exclusive to the pricier 12.9-inch model. 
• The production hiccup could mean that the larger iPad Pro will ship later and be available in constrained quantities to begin with, the people said.”

In case you need a reminder on what exactly Mini-LED displays are, which in short is the best kind of LCD possible, and why they’re not quite the OLED-adjacent Micro-LED tech, there’s a good explainer here. We’ve seen TVs with Mini-LEDs, but not more personal electronics yet.

Xiaomi’s tablets

On the other hand, a leak suggests Xiaomi is working on a powerhouse tablet series. That’s something because we haven’t seen a new Xiaomi tablet since 2018 with its Mi Pad 4 range, almost three years ago. Those leaks build on previous leaks so there’s at least some hope for the level of accuracy here.

Details:

• According to the leaks, three tablets are in development, with the two highest-end options sporting a Snapdragon 870 chipset (aka the Snapdragon 865 Plus …Plus), while the lowest spec option is a Snapdragon 860 chipset (the 2021 overclocked version of the Snapdragon 855 Plus).
• All three, though, have some nice sounding specs: quad rear camera setups (main/ultra-wide/macro/depth), wireless charging, quad speakers, NFC, and 120Hz IPS LCD screens.
• No real word on sizes yet.
• It could all point towards a Mi Pad 5 range, which would do battle with the world of iPad, and Samsung’s solid tablet range in the Tab S7 and S7 Plus.
• Not quite as exciting as a Mini-LED tablet but Xiaomi’s likely to price these well below Apple’s iPad Pro offerings.

📅 Report: Samsung expected to launch Galaxy Z Fold 3, Z Flip 2 in July (Android Authority).

👀 First Galaxy S21 FE renders have emerged, looking very close to a vanilla S21, but without a color-accented rear camera module, and 6.4-inch size over the S21’s 6.2-inch. August release? (Android Authority).

📺 Logitech officially discontinues its Harmony remotes, which were never great but still the best option on the market (The Verge).

⚖ Oops: Google seems to have been caught red handed in allegedly giving its ad system an advantage via a special project, with erroneously unredacted court documents spilling the beans. Court public docket error in your favor1 (WSJ).

🎮 If you read the tea leaves and believe: Xbox-Nintendo announcement possibly teased by insiders (Comicbook).

🔮 Nine years later: “15 technologies I thought my son would never use”, rated for accuracy (Tom’s Hardware).

🚀 Lego has a new 2,354-piece NASA Space Shuttle set, and seems good (Ars Technica).

🔋 EVs: VW teases larger ID.6 electric SUV ahead of auto show debut (Engadget), and the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS has emerged with this a first drive review of a new Merc that defines the large luxury EV market (CNET).

🚁 Mars helicopter flight delayed to no earlier than April 14 after initial high-speed blade spin test failed successfully. Yes, that’s what I meant to write (NASA).

🌋 “How do scientists actually know what material the Earth’s core is made out of?” (r/askscience).

Tristan Rayner, Senior Editor