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iPad Mini 8 on the Way: Expected Features and Release Timeline
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That was my first thought but I’m sure they could fit an 8.5 to 8.7 screen in the same size chassis as the mini 7 just by reducing the bezel size. I hope that’s what they do as the mini design does look a bit fisher price for my liking with the chunky bezels 😂
Thank you. I couldn’t believe the suggestion in the article…
There’s really only one iPad mini feature worth mentioning. I mean it should have all the other stuff, but if a regular iPad was a fungible substitute, Apple wouldn’t bother with the mini at all.
Yes indeed, size matters!
Although I have 11” and 13” iPads for specific demands of my workflow, nothing beats the casual use enjoyment I get from my iPad mini 7.
ProMotion and a brighter display while maintaining its current size would make it an immediate acquisition.
A new iPad mini is "absolutely" on the way, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released a year ago?
Processor and Performance
Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code that Apple mistakenly shared in August.
Apple's A19 Pro chip since debuted in the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. The iPhone 17 Pro models include the higher-end version of Apple's A19 Pro chip with a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU, while the iPhone Air uses a mid-tier A19 Pro chip with one fewer GPU core than the A19 Pro chip used in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.
For the iPad mini 8, Apple is likely to use the mid-tier A19 Pro chip found in the iPhone Air. This is based on the fact that the A17 Pro chip used in the iPad mini 7 has a 6-core CPU with two high-performance cores and four efficiency cores, along with a 5-core GPU, compared to the 6-core GPU found on the A17 Pro used in the iPhone 15 Pro.
Apple built the A19 Pro chip on an upgraded third-generation 3-nanometer N3P process for modest speed and efficiency improvements. The chip includes a 16-core Neural Engine, next-generation dynamic caching, and unified image compression.
The GPU in the A19 Pro has an upgraded architecture with a larger cache, more memory, and Neural Accelerators that are built into each core. Apple says that this change provides 3× the peak GPU compute over the prior-generation chip. There's also an upgraded 16-core Neural Engine for AI tasks.
Display
Apple's plan to transition the iPad mini from an LCD to an OLED display is widely rumored. According to a Chinese leaker with sources in Apple's supply chain, Apple has evaluated a Samsung-made OLED display for its next iPad mini model, but it remains unclear whether it features a higher refresh rate than the 60Hz LCD display used in the existing iPad mini 7. A separate report has suggested the iPad mini 8's screen could increase in size from 8.3 inches to 8.7 inches with the adoption of OLED.
OLED panels can individually control each pixel, resulting in more precise color reproduction and deeper blacks compared to other common display technologies. They also provide superior contrast, faster response times, better viewing angles, and greater design flexibility. All of Apple's flagship iPhones use OLED panels, and in May 2024 the company brought the display technology to the iPad Pro for the first time.
Unlike Apple's iPad Pro models, which feature two-stack low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) OLED panels, the iPad mini may have a single-stack low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) panel, meaning that it may be dimmer and continue to lack ProMotion.
Release Timeline
According to research firm Omdia, the iPad mini is expected to adopt an OLED display in 2027. However, Korea's ET News and ZDNET Korea have both suggested that the iPad mini and iPad Air will be updated with OLED displays simultaneously in 2026.
In May 2024, it was reported that Samsung Display had started developing sample OLED panels for a future iPad mini, with plans to initiate mass production at its facility in Cheonan in the second half of 2025. The same report claimed that Apple will bring an OLED panel to the iPad Air alongside the iPad mini in 2026.
That outlook differs slightly from a December report by analyst firm Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) that said an 8.5-inch OLED iPad mini is planned for a 2026 launch, while 11-inch and 13-inch OLED iPad Air models are expected to follow in 2027.
Ultimately, there are no converging rumors suggesting exactly when the next iPad mini will be released, but a launch alongside new iPad Air models in the first half of next year is certainly a possibility.
Pricing
We don't have any information to suggest Apple will change the pricing of a new iPad mini. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that Apple might want to consider a lower-end version of the mini, or at least a change to its current $499 starting price, given that it's up against rival products that cost a lot less.
However, Apple users who are looking for a more affordable option should probably consider the 10th-generation iPad instead. Starting at $329, the iPad offers many iPad mini features, such as Touch ID and Center Stage, but at a lower price that balances functionality and affordability.
Article Link: iPad Mini 8 on the Way: Expected Features and Release Timel
The a17 Pro gets too hot. They should’ve put an a18 in the mini 7
A new iPad mini is "absolutely" on the way, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released a year ago?
Processor and Performance
Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code that Apple mistakenly shared in August.
Apple's A19 Pro chip since debuted in the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. The iPhone 17 Pro models include the higher-end version of Apple's A19 Pro chip with a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU, while the iPhone Air uses a mid-tier A19 Pro chip with one fewer GPU core than the A19 Pro chip used in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.
For the iPad mini 8, Apple is likely to use the mid-tier A19 Pro chip found in the iPhone Air. This is based on the fact that the A17 Pro chip used in the iPad mini 7 has a 6-core CPU with two high-performance cores and four efficiency cores, along with a 5-core GPU, compared to the 6-core GPU found on the A17 Pro used in the iPhone 15 Pro.
Apple built the A19 Pro chip on an upgraded third-generation 3-nanometer N3P process for modest speed and efficiency improvements. The chip includes a 16-core Neural Engine, next-generation dynamic caching, and unified image compression.
The GPU in the A19 Pro has an upgraded architecture with a larger cache, more memory, and Neural Accelerators that are built into each core. Apple says that this change provides 3× the peak GPU compute over the prior-generation chip. There's also an upgraded 16-core Neural Engine for AI tasks.
Display
Apple's plan to transition the iPad mini from an LCD to an OLED display is widely rumored. According to a Chinese leaker with sources in Apple's supply chain, Apple has evaluated a Samsung-made OLED display for its next iPad mini model, but it remains unclear whether it features a higher refresh rate than the 60Hz LCD display used in the existing iPad mini 7. A separate report has suggested the iPad mini 8's screen could increase in size from 8.3 inches to 8.7 inches with the adoption of OLED.
OLED panels can individually control each pixel, resulting in more precise color reproduction and deeper blacks compared to other common display technologies. They also provide superior contrast, faster response times, better viewing angles, and greater design flexibility. All of Apple's flagship iPhones use OLED panels, and in May 2024 the company brought the display technology to the iPad Pro for the first time.
Unlike Apple's iPad Pro models, which feature two-stack low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) OLED panels, the iPad mini may have a single-stack low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) panel, meaning that it may be dimmer and continue to lack ProMotion.
Release Timeline
According to research firm Omdia, the iPad mini is expected to adopt an OLED display in 2027. However, Korea's ET News and ZDNET Korea have both suggested that the iPad mini and iPad Air will be updated with OLED displays simultaneously in 2026.
In May 2024, it was reported that Samsung Display had started developing sample OLED panels for a future iPad mini, with plans to initiate mass production at its facility in Cheonan in the second half of 2025. The same report claimed that Apple will bring an OLED panel to the iPad Air alongside the iPad mini in 2026.
That outlook differs slightly from a December report by analyst firm Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) that said an 8.5-inch OLED iPad mini is planned for a 2026 launch, while 11-inch and 13-inch OLED iPad Air models are expected to follow in 2027.
Ultimately, there are no converging rumors suggesting exactly when the next iPad mini will be released, but a launch alongside new iPad Air models in the first half of next year is certainly a possibility.
Pricing
We don't have any information to suggest Apple will change the pricing of a new iPad mini. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that Apple might want to consider a lower-end version of the mini, or at least a change to its current $499 starting price, given that it's up against rival products that cost a lot less.
However, Apple users who are looking for a more affordable option should probably consider the 10th-generation iPad instead. Starting at $329, the iPad offers many iPad mini features, such as Touch ID and Center Stage, but at a lower price that balances functionality and affordability.
Article Link: iPad Mini 8 on the Way: Expected Features and Release Timeline
Apple is afraid of screens less than 6" on the diagonal.
Yes, I'm pretending they don't make watches with dinky lil screens.
its real simple. i want just 2 things...120HZ Oled Screen (there is no reason they cant do that) and FaceID. Give me both of those...and its an instant buy for me.
So the more likely 60 Hz LED screen and chip upgrade won’t do it for you?
Haha.
Me either
Hell no. I tried so hard to love the current ipad mini as is, but once you go 120HZ oled...you just cant go back.
I definitely agree that it should have come with the A18 instead of the A17 Pro but then at the same time it’s really good that they gave a “Pro Branding” Chip to the iPad Mini 7 ( and soon to the next Apple TV) because the A17 Pro itself ( and also the camera flash that the Mini has which makes it look pro too) makes the Mini 7 more “Pro feeling” than the Mini 6 which already looked and feel way way like a iPad Mini Pro next to the Mini 5.
Don’t forget that thanks to the A8/2GB versions of the Mini 4 and Apple TV HD since then all the Mini’s and Apple TV’s since then ( with the exception of the A10X TV because there was no Mini ( besides the Mini 7 with the Pro Brandin) to have the X/M series of processors.
But yeah the Mini 5 was released first with A12, the Mini 6 with the A15 and the Mini 7 with the A17 Pro all before the Apple TV.
And even when the base iPad comes with A18 Mini 8 will get the A19 Pro😁). The Mini 6 can hold its own against the iPad 9 easily ( since they both came out at the same time), the 10th generation one and in certain cases even the A16 11th gen iPad because that has one less HE Core and a 4 core GPU from the A16 compared to 5 on the Mini 6 which gives the same score with metal.
A17 Pro iPad Mini can easily beat an A18 5 core CPU for the 12th generation iPad and maybe even its 4 core GPU compared to 5 on the Mini’s A17 Pro.
Hopefully will be at least an 8.7 inches screen with drastically reduced bezels (current ones are HUGE, even more so if compared to iPad Air or Pro).
If I could choose tho I would love to see an iPad mini Pro, not much bigger in overall sizes but with a 9-9.2 inches and a more 4:3 form factor, tandem oled displays with Promotion, lidar, pins for connecting to a keyboard or charging device, an M series chip (even if slightly underpowered to keep it cooler and less power hungry) to have better video encoding/decoding capabilities and be able to drive an extended display (no mirroring), plus some better performances over series A pro chips of course.
All of this to me would make the definitive portable side device, easier to use with one hand and more convenient to bring around without the need for a proper bag, yet giving us the chance to connect it to an external tv and use as a proper laptop replacement (sure, for the tasks an iPad could replace a Mac).
If I could choose tho I would love to see an iPad mini Pro, not much bigger in overall sizes but with a 9-9.2 inches and a more 4:3 form factor, tandem oled displays with Promotion, lidar, pins for connecting to a keyboard or charging device, an M series chip (even if slightly underpowered to keep it cooler and less power hungry) to have better video encoding/decoding capabilities and be able to drive an extended display (no mirroring), plus some better performances over series A pro chips of course.
All of this to me would make the definitive portable side device, easier to use with one hand and more convenient to bring around without the need for a proper bag, yet giving us the chance to connect it to an external tv and use as a proper laptop replacement (sure, for the tasks an iPad could replace a Mac).