Apple Working on iPad Mini Upgrade With Larger 8.7-Inch OLED Screen: Report

Apple is working on bring OLED screens to two iPad models that could arrive within the next three years, according to a report. The Cupertino company is expected to refresh its iPad Pro models next year with OLED displays and the improved displays will later make their way to other iPad models later in subsequent years, according to an ETNews report (in Korean). The iPad mini is also expected to feature a slightly larger display compared with the existing model.

The South Korean publication recently reported that Apple will equip its iPad mini and iPad Air models with OLED screens in 2026. Apple last updated the iPad mini in 2021 while the latest iPad Air model was launched last year. They are equipped with 8.3-inch and 10.9-inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD screens, respectively. The purported iPad models will sport single-stack LTPS OLED screens, as per the report.

Apple is also planning to upgrade the OLED iPad mini with a larger display — it will reportedly have an 8.7-inch screen, which is 0.4 inches bigger than the current iPad mini model. Despite the increase in size, the iPad mini is expected to remain the smallest tablet from the company.

Before these models arrive, Apple will launch new iPad models with OLED screens in 2024, according to the report. A refreshed iPad Pro in 11-inch and 13-inch display sizes are expected to make their debut next year. This is in line with a recent report from Taiwanese market research firm TrendForce that stated Apple would replace the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a 13-inch model when it equips both models with OLED panels next year.

Before these new iPad models are unveiled, the company is expected to introduce other changes to its iPad portfolio. A prediction made by TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo last week, that Apple's refreshed iPad mini and iPad Air models would arrive by 2024. The company is planning to launch a new iPad Air model in Q1 2024 — with a new 12.9-inch display variant — followed by a new iPad mini model in the second half of the year, as well as a 11th-generation standard iPad model, according to the analyst.