Apple is reportedly using an 8.4-inch 60Hz display panel in the upcoming iPad mini OLED, which is expected to be released later this year.
The information comes from a random tipster who runs the “eyes1122” account on the Korean blog Naver. The leaker claims to have been informed by an Apple supply chain source that the unreleased iPad mini is 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 LCD business, so it may not see the iPad mini as a big enough market to justify the more advanced panel technology.
There is of course still hope that the rumor is false. The leaker also said that the smaller form factor iPad is currently in mass production on Samsung Display’s A2 Generation 5.5 OLED production line, located at its Asan campus in South Korea. Samsung has used the A2 line to make LTPO panels as well as comparatively lower LTPS panels, so if this information is true, it doesn’t mean the new iPad mini will definitely use the latter panel.
Late last month, a Korean media report ETNews claimed that mass production of the iPad mini 8 was underway at a Samsung factory. There are no rumors suggesting exactly when the next iPad mini will be released, but a late 2026 launch is widely expected. Besides refresh rates, OLED offers several advantages over the LCD technology used in the iPad mini 7, such as higher contrast, deeper blacks, and improved power efficiency.
