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OLED iPad Mini Expected to Arrive No Earlier Than Q3 2026

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Apple will launch the iPad mini 8 with OLED display in the third quarter of next year at the earliest, according to Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital.

ipad-mini-7-feature-blue-and-orange.jpg

Today's claim from the Chinese social media account broadly aligns with reports from Bloomberg and Korean media indicating the iPad mini will get an OLED display as soon as 2026.

Corroborating previous rumors, Instant Digital says Apple will make the iPad mini the second model in its iPad lineup to adopt OLED display technology, followed by the iPad Air – likely in 2027 at the earliest. Currently, OLED panels are exclusive to iPad Pro models.

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.

For the iPad mini 8, Apple is likely to use the mid-tier A19 Pro chip found in the iPhone Air. Apple built the A19 Pro chip on an upgraded third-generation 3-nanometer N3P process for modest speed and efficiency improvements.

Apple is reportedly working to give the iPad mini 8 a more water-resistant design, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. To achieve this, Apple is said to have designed a new vibration-based speaker system that eliminates the need for traditional speaker holes.

Apple's ‌iPad mini‌ with OLED display technology and improved water resistance is expected to be more expensive, and Apple could charge up to $100 more for the device, according to Gurman. The ‌iPad mini‌ is currently priced starting at $499.
The source of today's rumor, Instant Digital, has a mixed but occasionally reliable track record. The account previously revealed accurate details such as the Yellow iPhone 14 and 14 Plus finishes and the Titanium Milanese Loop for the Apple Watch Ultra 2, though not all of its past claims have proven correct.

Article Link: OLED iPad Mini Expected to Arrive No Earlier Than Q3 2026
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/11/26/oled-ipad-mini-no-earlier-than-q3-2026/
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I don’t know what it is about the iPad mini because I certainly don’t need one but I'm just so attracted to them. If this next model comes in a starlight colour, I'll probably melt over it. I have a purple gen 6 and really considered getting the 7 in starlight. I only held off because it seemed very likely the next model would have the better screen myself and everyone else wants.
 
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Mity said:
Nice. FaceID would be amazing too!
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Agree. I have iPad mini 7 and Touch ID can be annoying. Still love my iPad Mini though and OLED and pro motion would be welcome additions even at a higher price. I’ve no intention of upgrading though.
 
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For me, this product is no longer relevant with the incoming iFold which the marriage between iPhone and iPad mini. With the iFold, only one device needed to get iPhone and iPad forms. iFold will be an extra portable device functioning as an iPhone and iPad mini.
 
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Isn’t iPhone 17 Pro Max an Oled iPad already?

This iPad lost relevance about when Apple started making phablet phones. Considering they never put actual flagship processors inside, I don’t quite understand what’s the point of it

UPD: yeah dumb rhetorical question. To each their own!

In my opinion, iPads should stay IPS and do not need PWM and OLED flicker. Also Mini is unjustly underpowered comparing to the whole range and I believe it must have M chip to be competitive, at least M1 or M2
 
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MarkNewton2023 said:
For me, this product is no longer relevant with the incoming iFold which the marriage between iPhone and iPad mini. With the iFold, only one device needed to get iPhone and iPad forms. iFold will be an extra portable device functioning as an iPhone and iPad mini.
Click to expand...
It would be great for MS Windows 8 !
 
uacd said:
Isn’t iPhone 17 Pro Max an Oled iPad already?

This iPad lost relevance about when Apple started making phablet phones. Considering they never put actual flagship processors inside, I don’t quite understand what’s the point of it
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I'm guessing you're not a user. The relevance is in its size. Yes, a max phone is a large phone but it's still quite a bit smaller than an iPad mini. The mini is easier to hold and carry than a larger iPad and easier to see and use for general tasks than a large phone. Maybe you want a smaller phone, with a mini that would be easy to have both. My mini just fits in my back pocket on jeans but I dont carry it there. It gives me a device to use when I travel that is not my phone since my phone is so many things now for ID, payments, calls, etc. I use the cellular mini for all the times I am sitting someplace. I also use my mini on a dash mount in the car since my car is a 2016 without car play. I could mount my phone but its harder to see and a pain to remove from my pocket each time I get in the car and a pain to remember when I get out compared to leaving the mini in the car full time. I could go on but you're right that a large phone is like a phablet but in the world of hammers, each size has a purpose.
 
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THIS. This is my only Apple device to buy in the next 4 years. I am so into it.
 
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