Apple is about to give the iPad mini its most anticipated upgrade, yet it is holding back on the one feature that will make it truly great. And I think it's very deliberate.
Apple launched the current edition iPad mini (7th gen) nearly two years ago, in late October 2024. It features the A17 Pro chipset, the same one used in the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, so that's clearly getting dated now. But the one big upgrade that Apple has been holding back for the mini was an OLED screen, as previous generations all featured a 60Hz LCD display.
Make it better, but not quite great
Image by Apple
Well, that is finally coming this year, but instead of making the expected jump to a 120Hz OLED panel, Apple is expected to use a 60Hz OLED panel. At this point, it seems hard to even source a 60Hz OLED panel, as most modern gadgets run 120Hz screens.
All of this makes me think that Apple is being very deliberate. The iPad mini is not an expensive product, but it is not so cheap that Apple would need to cut corners like this. The current iPad mini starting price is $600, and the upcoming next generation could make the jump to a $700 price.
All of this means that Apple could have included a proper 120Hz OLED display, had it really wanted to do this. Leaving the iPad mini hobbled this way, immediately makes me think of the new iPhone Duo. After all, the Duo is basically an iPad mini when you unfold it, so it's natural that, considering its prohibitive $2,000+ price tag, many people might want to try the alternative. And that alternative being a Pro iPhone, and an iPad mini might still be cheaper than the iPhone Duo.
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I'm sure that Apple wants to see the iPhone Duo succeed, and having one less truly competitive product like a properly upgraded iPad mini helps.
Of course, the iPad mini has always been a cheaper and handicapped product, so that's not new. It is just that the hope for it being great never left many tech enthusiasts, myself included. And now, we are getting this half-baked OLED upgrade.
The performance problem
Image by Apple
We still don't know all the details about the new iPad mini 8th gen. For instance, Apple launched the previous generation with the one-year old A17 Pro chipset at the time, rather than the then current A18 Pro chip.
It seems possible that Apple sticks with that strategy and gives the iPad mini 8th gen the 3nm A19 Pro chip from the iPhone 17 Pro series, rather than the newer 2nm A20 Pro chip from the 18 Pro family.
That will be another disappointment, considering the immense gaming firepower of the new A20 Pro chip, but let's see if Apple actually does this.
The Bloomberg report says nothing about the processor, but it mentions two other upgrades for the new mini. First, will be that the front camera will move to the landscape side. Apple has made this change on other iPads as well, as it thinks about them more like mini computers that you can connect to a keyboard.
The second notable upgrade is a revamped speaker system, which should provide better sound quality.
Final words
An OLED iPad mini is an absolute dream for those who love a compact tablet, and I also think for a specific group of gamers who enjoy the portable size.
But with these latest reports, it's abundantly clear that the iPad mini isn't a top priority for Apple. It remains a strange middle-ground product that it still keeps around for the loyal fans.
The October 27th launch event will probably be focused on the first-ever MacBooks with a touchscreen, with the iPad mini likely being the less important part of that presentation.
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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.
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