An OLED ‘iPad mini 8’ Is Coming Soon — With a Major Display Catch
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While next week’s “Welcome Home” Apple Experience is expected to be all about home hubs and set-top boxes, that doesn’t mean Apple doesn’t have a few other surprises up its sleeve for this month. In addition to new Macs, we’re also waiting on the so-called “iPad mini 8,” which many believe will launch imminently.
It’s unlikely the iPad mini will be featured at next week’s event; in fact, it probably doesn’t need an “event” at all. The current seventh-generation model of Apple’s tablet, officially known as the iPad mini (A17 Pro), quietly came out via a newsroom announcement on October 15, 2024. That makes it a perfect time for its successor to make an appearance, but it will likely come out just as quietly as before.
Still, the next iPad mini is expected to have a little more going for it than the 2024 model, which was little more than a chip bump to add support for Apple Intelligence. It was otherwise essentially identical to its 2021 predecessor, with the only other changes being a new blue finish to replace the pink, and a slightly more pastel purple.
This time around, the iPad mini is expected to finally get a bump to an OLED panel, marking the first time the display technology has come to a new Apple tablet since it debuted on the much more premium iPad Pro in early 2024.
That’s still not likely going to be a big enough deal for Apple to show it off at an event, and that will be even more true if the rumors we’ve been hearing are accurate.
In July, yeux1122 (aka Lanzuk), who often shares leaks on South Korea’s Naver blog, confirmed the iPad mini would move to OLED — but with a twist. The next iPad mini wouldn’t be getting the 120 Hz ProMotion display of the iPad Pro, but would settle for a 60 Hz version instead, similar to the OLED panels Apple used on its standard iPhone models for years.
This week, the leaker doubled down with another post, claiming that while some overseas reports mention a 120 Hz refresh rate, “domestic production volume has already been confirmed as LTPS 60.”
Ordinarily, a leaker with such a mixed track record simply repeating themselves wouldn’t be all that noteworthy, but the lower refresh rate also isn’t outside the realm of possibility. In late 2023, South Korea’s ET News provided what it believed was a roadmap of Apple’s iPad OLED plans:
- 2024: New 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro with OLED and ProMotion
- 2026: New iPad mini with a larger 8.7-inch display and OLED
- 2026: New 10.9-inch iPad Air with OLED
- 2027: New 12.9-inch iPad Air with OLED
Six months later, the ultra-thin M4 iPad Pro arrived with its advanced Tandem OLED display, which aligned with that first prediction. Now it’s late 2026, and the iPad mini could very well be next on deck (while the 2023 report pointed to an 8.7-inch display, more recent reports have settled on 8.4 inches). We’re not expecting an iPad Air this year, and since the 11-inch and 13-inch models are typically updated at the same time, it’s likely those will both debut together in 2027.
Although that list doesn’t mention refresh rates, the fact that the iPad Pro specifically calls out “ProMotion” is telling. Supply chain analysts of that era believed only the iPad Pro would get the Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide (LTPO) display used for Apple’s 120 Hz iPhone screens, while the iPad Air and iPad mini would be equipped with single-stack Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Silicon (LTPS) displays similar to those used for the 60 Hz OLED screens on Apple’s iPhone 12 through iPhone 16 models.
Apple first adopted 120 Hz ProMotion OLED screens with the iPhone 13 Pro in 2021, but didn’t bring them to a standard iPhone model until last year when the iPhone 17 debuted. This led some folks to hope that Apple might do the same for the iPad mini, but it’s worth keeping in mind that the iPhone 17e also still sports a 60 Hz LTPS display, so it’s not entirely out of the question for Apple to reserve its best displays for the flagship iPad Pro.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
