Apple plans to update the iPad mini with a bigger 8.7-inch OLED panel in 2026 as part of a wider push to adopt OLED technology across iPad and Mac devices, according to a new report from ET News.
The report delves into Apple’s plans to update most iPad and all MacBook models with an OLED display between next year and 2027. As widely expected, the iPad Pro will kick off this transition next year with the introduction of two new 11-inch and 12.9-inch models with an OLED display. The lower-end iPad Air and iPad mini are next in line for the OLED upgrade as they are set to receive new displays in 2026 as corroborated by other sources.
While the OLED iPad Pro and iPad Air are expected to maintain the same display sizes as their current models, the OLED display of the iPad mini could grow slightly larger. ET News indicates that the iPad mini’s OLED display will measure at 8.7 inches instead of the current 8.3-inch LCD display. It’s unclear at this point whether the tablet would grow in dimensions to accommodate the bigger display, but the switch to OLED could allow Apple to shrink the display bezels while maintaining the device’s overall physical size.
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OLED panels designated for the iPad Pro will feature a low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) backplane with a two-stack tandem. On the other hand, the iPad Air and iPad mini’s OLED screens will be based on a single-stack low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) structure. As a result, ProMotion and 120Hz refresh rate will remain exclusive on the iPad Pro for the foreseeable future.
On the Mac side, Apple will upgrade the 16-inch MacBook Pro with an OLED display in 2025, before bringing the technology to the smaller 14-inch model a year later by 2026. Both 13-inch and 15-inch sizes of the MacBook Air will also see their OLED upgrade in 2026, the report adds.
Earlier reports noted that Apple could upgrade its MacBook Pro line with OLED screens by 2026 or 2027. The conflicting information could mean that the company hasn’t made up its mind over its long-term upgrade strategy, or that the technology isn’t simply up to Apple’s standards just yet.
