New iPad Mini reportedly has 60Hz OLED display ahead of launch

Ahead of the imminent launch of the new iPad mini 8, rumors out of Asia suggest that the device will feature a 60Hz OLED display rather than a 120Hz ProMotion display.

The information comes from a random tipster who runs the “eyes1122” account on the Korean blog Naver. “There have been mentions of 120 Hz in some foreign reports, but it has already been confirmed that the domestic production quantity is LTPS at 60 Hz,” the tipster wrote. “That’s it.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that the OLED iPad mini won’t share the same ProMotion display as the iPad Pro models. In July, the same leaker claimed that an Apple supply chain source told him that the unreleased iPad mini was equipped with a low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) backplane hybrid OLED panel clocked at 60 Hz.

Apple’s ‌iPad Pro‌ models feature dual-stack low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) OLED panels, making the display capable of dynamically adjusting its refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz (aka ProMotion). In contrast, LTPS OLED panels are typically associated with fixed refresh rates – such as 60Hz, 90Hz or 120Hz – and are generally dimmer than LTPO panels.

If the leak is true, it may disappoint iPad mini fans. Previous reports did not specify whether the iPad mini 8 would feature a higher refresh rate than the 60Hz LCD screen used in the existing iPad mini 7. Given that the base iPhone 17 uses a 120Hz ProMotion panel, some would have thought it was reasonable to expect the same on the first OLED iPad mini. That said, the iPhone 17e shows that Apple is still in the 60Hz OLED business, so it may not see the iPad mini as a big enough market to justify the more advanced panel technology.

There are at least a few other new features of the new iPad mini 8 that we can expect. It is expected to come with a faster A20 Pro chip, a FaceTime camera moved from portrait to landscape orientation, a redesigned speaker system, and a water-resistant design.

The new iPad mini is expected in October, but Apple has not yet announced a launch date. Apple will unveil new home products on Tuesday, October 13, according to a report from BloombergIt’s Mark Gurman. However, Woozad’ sources indicate that Apple plans to hold a separate event during the last week of October, so the iPad mini 8 could arrive then.