- Apple could launch an iPad mini with an OLED screen in 2026, a report claims
- OLED may also come to the iPad Air and MacBook Air
- However, the new screen may result in higher prices
Apple’s iPad mini has proven to be one of the best tablets available in recent years, with its combination of compact size and impressive performance making it an ideal choice for many people. And if rumors are to be believed, it could soon get a major upgrade that could give it a significant edge over the competition.
Journalist Mark Gurman has claimed in a post on the Bloomberg website that Apple plans to bring an OLED screen to the iPad mini as early as next year. It follows a similar rumor from earlier this year and would herald a significant improvement over the device’s current LCD screen, bringing better contrast and richer colors to content viewed on the device.
If that happens, it could help make the iPad mini a surprise hit in 2026. The pint-sized tablet already has a loyal following of users put off by the size of the iPad Air and the price of the iPad Pro, but the iPad mini has often missed out on features found in its more expensive siblings. However, with the introduction of an OLED screen, Apple’s smallest tablet would get a major visual upgrade to help it compete against competing products.
Add to that the idea that Apple wants to make the future iPad mini fully waterproof by redesigning its case and adding “a new speaker system that uses vibration-related technology” in place of traditional speaker holes, Gurman says. The reporter points out that this is a different approach to the waterproofing used in all the top iPhones, but it could add another positive to the iPad mini’s list of features.
OLED is arriving elsewhere
It’s not all good news, however, as Gurman’s report suggests that Apple may raise its prices in light of the iPad mini’s improved display. A $100 increase wouldn’t be out of the question, claims Gurman, potentially resulting in a starting price of $599 (around £450 / AU$900).
The iPad mini isn’t the only Apple device in line for an OLED upgrade, Gurman believes — Apple apparently plans to bring this screen technology to the iPad Air and MacBook Air as well.
The MacBook Air is unlikely to get the upgrade before 2028, Gurman says, with the iPad Air making the jump at an unspecified future date (but after in the generation after the expected spring 2026 update). In theory, it was then that we could also see the new iPad mini.
OLED displays have already proved a hit in the iPad Pro and iPhone, and have been a fixture in the Apple Watch ever since it was first launched. If the iPad mini joins these popular devices and adds OLED goodness next year, Apple could make a lot of iPad customers very happy.
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