Earlier this month, Apple introduced the iPad Pro (2024) and iPad Air (2024). This fall, Apple will likely update the original iPad, which was last updated in 2022.
But what about the often-overlooked iPad mini, whose current version is actually a year older? We may be waiting a while longer for new iPad mini hardware, but when it does finally arrive, it should be well worth the wait.
According to a Korean news site called Naver, Apple and Samsung Display are working to bring OLED to upcoming versions of the iPad Air and iPad mini. However, it’s unlikely that either device will see an OLED update until the second half of 2025 at the earliest, and maybe not until 2026. If this information is correct, it makes a lot of sense, although the waiting game might seem excessive for some.
Besides the all-new M4 chip, the most significant new feature on the iPad Pro (2024) is the Tandem OLED, which actually includes two stacked OLEDs. This technology is unique to Apple’s 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro (2024) models but is also very expensive. From a business perspective, Apple almost certainly wants to capitalize on this exclusivity and the premium price that comes with it.
It would be logical for Apple to include OLED technology in its more-affordable tablets, such as the mid-priced iPad Air and iPad mini, in the future. Doing so would make the regular iPad the only Apple tablet without OLED. Apple recently reduced the price of the 10th-generation iPad from $449 to $349 for the entry-level model, indicating that it intends for this version to be its budget-friendly tablet for the foreseeable future.
While frustrating we may have to wait so long for an OLED iPad mini, it’s reassuring to hear that Apple hasn’t forgotten about its tiny tablet option — and that it’s reportedly planning such a big upgrade for it.
