The Fruity Cargo Cult Apple might finally give the iPad mini OLED, then hobble it with a 60Hz panel.
While the Tame Apple Press are filling their pages with stories about why fanboys need to buy the new OLED iPad mini, a fresh leak claims Jobs’ Mob is preparing an OLED iPad mini for later this year. The bad news, for anyone hoping for silky scrolling, is that it might not get ProMotion.
Korean blog Naver leaker yeux1122 reckons the next iPad mini will use an 8.4-inch OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate. If true, Job’s Mob’s first OLED mini tablet will miss out on smoother animations and scrolling.
The report claims the tablet will use a low-temperature polycrystalline silicon hybrid OLED panel. That is LTPS rather than the fancier LTPO OLED kit used in the latest iPad Pro models.
According to Trusted Reviews, OLED is still better than a poke in the eye with a short stick compared to the current LCD screen. It should mean deeper blacks, stronger contrast, punchier colours and better power efficiency, but the fixed 60Hz refresh rate is the groan-worthy bit. Job’s Mob has been pushing higher refresh rates elsewhere, so sticking the mini with 60Hz feels like classic product ladder fiddling.
The iPad Pro models use LTPO OLED panels that can shift between 10Hz and 120Hz. That helps deliver smoother visuals without draining the battery too much.
LTPS OLED panels usually run at a fixed refresh rate. They generally lack the same brightness and power-saving tricks as LTPO screens.
That could make the OLED iPad mini feel less of an upgrade than fans expected. With the standard iPhone 17 getting a 120Hz ProMotion display, many assumed the smallest iPad would follow.
The existence of the iPhone 17e, which sticks with a 60Hz OLED panel, suggests Job’s Mob still wants smoother screens kept for pricier kit. So much for the revolution reaching the cheap seats.
Even with 60Hz, OLED would make the next iPad mini look better than the iPad mini 7. The question is whether buyers will forgive Job’s Mob for leaving ProMotion on the shelf again.
There is still no official launch date. Recent reports suggest the OLED iPad mini is being lined up for a late 2026 debut.
