Apple’s smaller tablets are reportedly headed in two very different directions. According to reports citing Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman along with supply-chain sources, Apple is preparing its first-ever OLED iPad mini for later this year, while the entry-level iPad is set for a far quieter internal-only update. None of this is official yet, but the details are specific enough to be worth digging into.
The headline change is a switch from LCD to an 8.3–8.4-inch OLED panel, bringing deeper blacks, better HDR, and improved color accuracy along with it. There’s a catch, though reports say Apple is sticking with a 60Hz refresh rate rather than adopting 120Hz ProMotion, likely to keep costs and sourcing manageable.
The OLED mini is also expected to jump to the A19 Pro chip, a meaningful leap over the current A17 Pro and a boost for Apple Intelligence performance. Design-wise, though, don’t expect much change; the flat-edge aluminum body, USB-C port, and Touch ID power button are all reportedly staying put.
With OLED and rising memory costs factored in, the new mini could start around $599 about $100 more than today’s model. Look for an announcement around October 2026.
Meanwhile, the standard iPad is expected to keep its LCD display and current design entirely, with its only real upgrade being a switch to the non-Pro A19 chip. That refresh reportedly won’t land until early 2027.
This fits into Apple’s broader shift toward OLED across iPads already standard on iPad Pro, rumored for iPad Air in 2027, but seemingly still a ways off for the base model.
