New iPad mini with OLED screen rumored to arrive in 2026

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited May 24

Consumers may have to wait until 2026 before they can buy a new iPad mini -- and it may have a brand new display.

Apple iPad mini 6
Apple iPad mini 6



Apple has not updated the iPad mini for a considerable amount of time. However, an update may not be arriving anytime soon.

According to ZDNet Korea via Naver, Samsung Display has started to develop a new display for the iPad mini. It has already developed samples which it reportedly sent to Apple in April.

Furthermore, the display could end up getting a major upgrade. Those samples are reportedly OLED, making it equal to the iPad Pro line's screens.

Samsung's target for mass production is apparently as early as the second half of 2025. If true, this could result in an early 2026 release at best.

While ZDNet is a known publication, ZDNet Korea does not have a track record that we can use to determine whether this is likely or unlikely to happen.

There have been other regulatory filings in October that hinted at a potential iPad mini launch. Such filings usually mean a launch will happen soon, making a multi-year wait unlikely. Add in that the sixth-gen iPad mini was released in September 2021, a five-year gap seems very implausible for a well-loved product.

Rumor Score: Possible

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    fred1fred1 Posts: 1,121member
    The Mini is by far my favorite Apple device, but I’m not sure the OLED display is a good enough reason to upgrade from my Mini 6.  
    dewmedav
  • Reply 2 of 8
    kdupuis77kdupuis77 Posts: 120member
    I'm loving my new iPad Pro's OLED screen but if/when Apple blesses the mini with OLED and ProMotion I am going back down to my baby. The iPhone's OLED and MacBook Pro's MiniLED displays have spoiled me and there is no going back now haha.
    edited May 24
  • Reply 3 of 8
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,384member

    An OLED screen is a different story. If this happens, I'm onboard day 1. I've yet to see the iPP's OLED screen but my iPhone's screen is a thing of great beauty. The difference between it and my iPads' screens are night and day. They're not bad but the iPhone is much better. So even if that were the only  difference, I'd be getting one.
  • Reply 4 of 8
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,500member
    I really like my iPad mini 6. Even though it’s considered long in the tooth for an Apple device it still seems surprisingly fast to me. My only complaint with the iPad mini is the desktop seems to have way too much blank space (gutter) around the icons and widgets. I think they could scale down the icons just a little bit and make better use of the available screen real estate. 
    fred1
  • Reply 5 of 8
    SamhainSamhain Posts: 12member
    While an OLED iPad mini may be coming in 2026, I still think they will have a new iPad mini this year, the current one is really in need of a replacement and lots of iPad mini 5th Generation owners are waiting in the wings :-)
    OnPartyBusinessdav
  • Reply 6 of 8
    jellybellyjellybelly Posts: 127member
    I would like to see Apple consider a more upscale version of the mini.  Smaller bezels, Face ID, an M class processor with great GPU for using it as a more portable demo unit for artists to share their work in video or CAD including animation collaboration on the go.  
    Most of all, include one or two decent camera(s) where the mini can be used on a tripod or by colleague to shoot B-roll, while using iPhone for main camera.  (For non-video folks, B-roll is shot for content that might be adjacent to main subject in foreground, background or just a different angle on the subject.  Often the sound wave profiles can be used to sync the two, but since the clocks in computers, smartphones and tablets sync to time standard through WiFi or cell signal, that can be used.  Sound is important—for example a side view ( B-roll) in an interview insures the mouth is moving in sync with the audio on the main camera. 

    Currently I keep my previous years’s iPhone for my B-roll.   A mini with good processors would be kind of interesting to assemble a quick video piece to check if you got the shots you need and for continuity.  Yes of course I use my iPad Pro 11” or 13” for that, but it’s a bit extra size and weight to lug around on casual work or when some hiking is involved. 

    Imagine the mini that’s thinner and lighter than it already is—to include advances in the latest Pros especially in lighter weight.  
    williamlondon
  • Reply 7 of 8
    kdupuis77kdupuis77 Posts: 120member
    macgui said:

    An OLED screen is a different story. If this happens, I'm onboard day 1. I've yet to see the iPP's OLED screen but my iPhone's screen is a thing of great beauty. The difference between it and my iPads' screens are night and day. They're not bad but the iPhone is much better. So even if that were the only  difference, I'd be getting one.
    Yeah, the iPhone and MacBook Pro screens were always 8n back of my mind using y old iPad the new OLED loos fantastic! If they ever drop a mini with OLED I would probably go back to it.. although, I must say that title bit of weight savings has been noticeable reading and watching YouTube every night before bed with the 11” Pro, I might just stay in this line now. 
  • Reply 8 of 8
    carthusiacarthusia Posts: 584member
    Apple will find some way to gimp it.
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