Next iPad mini to have OLED, but you'll have to wait and wait

AppleInsider

Apple's next iPad mini update will include OLED, but given Apple's typical lag between releases, that could be years away.

iPad mini - Image credit: Apple

Apple has just released the seventh-gen iPad mini, which uses an LED-backlit LCD screen. While there's no immediate possibility of a change in display technology for the model, the next update could make the switch to OLED.

In a reply to a post on X discussing the iPad mini, Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young said late on Wednesday that the "Next iPad mini will have OLED."

Next iPad Mini will have an OLED

-- Ross Young (@DSCCRoss)

October 24, 2024

Aside from the six-word reply, Young doesn't go into any further detail about the claim. However, it's a proposal that could end up being correct.

Young, and by extension DSCC, is pretty accurate when it comes to display-related rumors and analysis. With the relatively limited detail of the post, as well as other previous rumors and reporting, his post reply is highly plausible.

A reasonably safe bet

Rumors have repeatedly put forward the narrative that an OLED iPad mini is being developed and is on the way. In 2023, there were rumors insisting that a new iPad mini display and iPad Air screen using OLED will arrive in 2026.

By May 2024, it was reported that major display partner Samsung Display was working on a new display for the iPad Mini, again due by 2026. Samples using OLED were allegedly sent to Apple in April for consideration, with mass production set to start in late 2025.

It also helps the "next iPad mini" claim that Apple's release schedule for the model's updates isn't exactly rapid. There was a three-year gap between the seventh generation and the sixth, 2.5 years between the sixth and fifth, and 3.5 years between the fifth and fourth.

A release in late 2026 would make the gap between the current gen and the next model just two years.

It is entirely possible for Apple to introduce a new iPad mini more regularly, especially following the latest's spec-bump update as a plan. Based on the last four generations, it seems unlikely that a much faster update of the smallest Apple tablet will materialize earlier than 2026.

Rumor Score: Possible

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kkqd1337

I wouldn't ever usually advise on waiting for a potential future product, especially for years. 

But, for me, the iPad Mini is just a fun, slightly more useable consumption companion device to my iPhone 16Max that isn't really a necessity 

Given how much it costs.... i will wait.

tht

Well, that prediction is eventually going to be correct, no? It seems Apple has settled on OLED, or, OLED has won the display quality for the price war with miniLED, LCD, and whatever else. The wait will be longer for OLED 27" and larger 220 to 250 PPI monitors. Apple is basically the only customer for that kind of PPI.

Also, be mindful that Ross Young has made so many miniLED predictions for Apple products in the past. He doesn't want to wait until the mass production contract is awarded. Like 5 years ago, he was predicting 6 products would have miniLED. The mass economies of scale just didn't go fast enough for miniLED to get into lower end products while OLED has improved faster. So, there you go.

It will depend on the component cost Apple is getting for OLEDs in an iPad mini. If too much, it's just going to be pushed to the next cycle.

danox

There is no rush LCD, OLED, tandem OLED, 60 Hz to 120 Hz only those on tech forums get a rise out of (120 Hz) as a talking point those things don’t matter to the non gamer general public who are just using and enjoying their devices, a user of 11 Pro iPhone, a XDR monitor and a M4 iPad Pro and sees no real difference using any of them Hz wise, however, I do see other differences quality wise with the ppi, fit and finish of all curated Apple monitors which tend to have great screens on them and yes, they usually cost more in comparison to the PC competition. 

mpantone

tht said:

It will depend on the component cost Apple is getting for OLEDs in an iPad mini. If too much, it's just going to be pushed to the next cycle.

Some readers of tech media sites don't understand that just because a component exists doesn't automatically mean it will be included in a BOM.

All technology comes with a price. There's probably some sort of battery technology that will let cars run 1000 miles between charges but those batteries might cost $100,000.

Clearly Apple has a target COGS for each of their products and if certain components are coming up too expensive, Apple will punt until parts come down in price. It's not like Apple could stick WiFi, solid state storage, and Bluetooth in the original iPod (2002) and arrive at a consumer-friendly price point.

Hell, some tech journalists and pundits don't get it. They simply don't see the forests for the trees. Some technology advances rapidly. Some other technologies advance more slowly than anticipated. Progress is not linear.