Apple is testing a new iPad Mini model equipped with an OLED screen, according to details shared by a tipster. The new 8-inch panel is said to be manufactured by Samsung Display, and the South Korean firm could begin production in H2 2025. Apple is expected to unveil the successor to last year’s iPad Mini (7th Generation) in 2026, according to analysts. The company’s iPad Pro (2024) was its first tablet model to be equipped with an OLED screen.
Apple’s iPad Mini Could Sport an OLED Screen Produced by Samsung
In a post on Weibo, the Chinese microblogging website, Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese) claims that Apple is evaluating a small OLED screen for the iPad. The smallest tablet in the company’s lineup is the iPad Mini, and this indicates that Apple is planning to replace the Liquid Retina LCD screen on the iPad Mini (7th Generation) with an OLED screen.
The tipster also says that they do now know whether Apple’s next iPad model will feature an OLED screen with a high refresh rate. The LCD screen on the iPad Mini (7th Generation) refreshes at 60Hz, while the more advanced OLED panels used on the iPad Pro (2024) have a 120Hz refresh rate.
Digital Chat Station states that Apple is currently evaluating the OLED panel produced by Samsung, and production could begin in the second half of 2025. The company could launch an upgraded iPad Mini with the new OLED screen in 2026.
While the next-gen iPad Mini is expected to arrive with an OLED screen, it will not be as advanced as the one on the iPad Pro, which sports a Tandem OLED screen that delivers increased brightness and improved colour reproduction, while reducing power consumption.
According to previous reports, Apple is also working on an upgraded iPad Air with an OLED screen that could launch “as early as 2026”. At the time, it was claimed that Apple would be equipped with a less advanced OLED panel to keep costs low.
Last year, technology research firm Omdia predicted that Apple’s rumoured decision to equip its iPad Air and iPad Mini models with OLED screens would also convince rivals to switch from LCD panels. The demand for these panels could cross the 30-million-unit mark by 2029, according to the firm.
