Next iPad mini rumored to get OLED, but you'll have to wait a while
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)
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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Comments
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.
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.
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.
Products have to bring in revenue and profits to be considered successful. Those profits don't simply materialize out of thin air because a product is built with jazzy technology. Those profits come from the product builder being able to sell their products at a price that is substantially higher than their costs of building their products, maybe not at an individual product level but as an aggregate, e.g., the razor vs razor blades model.
Truth be told, it's not only the tech media or consumers pushing technology. Companies who build products sometimes (often?) lean on the technology too much to sell their products, hoping that the technology wow factor itself will move the product. I know I may be jumping the gun, but I currently feel like there is a ton of this happening now with companies trying to wow up the buying public with all the talk around AI technology. Sometimes they need to quit talking so much about the technology and just focus on the product and the value it delivers to consumers.
At the end of the day consumers buy products and services that do something for them in their lives, like solving a problem or making them happier. At the same time product builders have to make money and earn profits. Both sides in the sales transaction have to walk away feeling good about the whole deal. Making that happen often requires cost control on the product development side. Companies that lean too hard on pushing the technology alone can end up setting up their customers for disappointment either because the product doesn't live up to expectations because of cost constraints or it's just too damn expensive.
2022 IPS model with 128GB was $799. $899 with 256GB
2024 OLED model with 256GB is $999
They could always have an entry model mini with IPS at $599 and every model above with OLED starting at $699.
It would be nice to see OLED in the Macbook Airs. $100 premium for such a large jump in image quality, refresh rate and black levels would be worth it.