Leaker Says iPad Mini Is Next To Get OLED Display, Followed By iPad Air

Weibo leaker Instant Digital is the latest to corroborate the iPad mini getting an OLED display. According to the leak, Apple is planning to release this iPad by the third or fourth quarter of 2026 at the earliest. This report comes a month after Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple has been testing OLED panels for the iPad mini, iPad Air, and MacBook Air.

If that turns out to be accurate, the new OLED iPad mini could be released around the same time Apple is planning to launch its redesigned MacBook Pro — even though the current timeline could slip to early 2027. Besides that, Gurman believes the eighth generation of the iPad mini could get a redesigned case and become Apple's first tablet with water resistance. Other rumors include the iPad getting a new speaker system that uses vibration technology. That said, it's unclear if Apple would add a ProMotion display like the iPad Pro, or if it's going to be like an iPhone 14 with a 60Hz display.

While Apple usually has an 18-24 month cycle for the iPad Air, the company does update its MacBook Air lineup more often. That said, we might be two generations away from seeing an iPad Air with an OLED display, while for the MacBook Air, we might have to wait another three.

Still, these updates should mark somewhat of a redesign of these products, as Apple usually makes them different when it uses a new display technology, as it did with the iPhone X and OLED panel, the MacBook Pro and a mini-LED display, and the iPad Pro and a two-tandem stack OLED screen with the M4 version.

Besides that, it's unclear what other features Apple might add to these products, such as whether the company might add an M-series chip to the iPad mini or if it's still going to rely on the A-series, or other improvements, such as a nano-texture display, Apple's own Wi-Fi and 5G modems, and so on. BGR will let you know once we learn more about upcoming Mac and iPad lineup.