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ZDNET Highlights
- The next iPad mini is rumored to feature an OLED display and improved water resistance.
- The price of even the smallest Apple tablet could increase by $100.
- Apple may bring OLED display to MacBook Air by 2028.
The iPad Mini is my favorite Apple tablet because of its size. It’s small enough to pack with my laptop and powerful enough to rekindle my love of photo editing. But for the last two generations, I wished Apple offered a better screen, as the blurry LCD panel isn’t ideal for readability or color accuracy. Ultimately this may happen next year.
Too: How the new iPad Mini renewed my love of photo editing
According to Bloomberg recently report According to Mark Gurman, the iPad Mini may get an OLED panel as soon as next year. It also says that Apple has been planning to gradually introduce OLED displays in the iPad Air, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air over the past few years.
However, an OLED-equipped MacBook Air is “unlikely” to launch before 2028. For context, the 2024 iPad Pro was the first Apple tablet to feature an OLED display, and it’s surprising that the upgrade will reach the iPad Mini before the iPad Air lineup.
Why is the OLED iPad Mini so useful?
I’m excited for the OLED iPad Mini because my tablet use cases include browsing, editing photos, reading, and watching videos, in order of priority. I’ve written before about how the iPad Mini is the perfect combination of form and function for me. The iPhone is suitable for browsing, but not editing, while the larger iPad is ideal for editing, but not reading. That’s why the iPad Mini has earned a permanent spot in my travel backpack.
Also: I’ve tested every iPad model – that’s why I recommend the Mini to most people
Unlike the iPad Air, it’s comfortable to hold for long periods of time without putting strain on my wrists. I can read a Kindle ebook, browse my subscribed publications, and edit my travel photos on Lightroom without feeling the need to put it down.
I like its paperback book-like shape; It is thin, small and so portable that I can take it wherever I want. It is an excellent travel companion.
According to Gurman, Apple wants to make the next iPad mini completely waterproof by redesigning its casing and adding “a new speaker system that uses vibration-related technology” instead of traditional speaker holes. If durability is a concern, I hope Apple can also borrow the better fingerprint-resistant coating from the iPhone 17 series and incorporate it into the OLED iPad mini, as the current generation version is prone to fingerprints.
Also: The 5 best iPads of 2025: We’ve tested every iPad available — these are the best
The price of the upcoming iPad mini is also reportedly going to increase by $100, bringing its starting price to $799. This would put the smaller Apple tablet (likely powered by an A-series chipset) on par with the 11-inch M3 iPad Air, which currently retails for $559. Amazon,
You’ll have the option of choosing a smaller tablet with an OLED display with a less powerful processor, or an LCD screen with an M-series chipset in a larger form factor. It will be interesting to see how the two similarly priced iPads perform against each other.
Apple’s OLED upgrade will be introduced in more products over the next three years. A touchscreen MacBook Pro with an OLED display will reportedly be launched later in the year following the OLED iPad mini launch. It is estimated that iPad Air and MacBook Air will come after this. That said, the MacBook Air planned for spring 2026 will likely continue to feature LCD screens.
