Ahead of the expected imminent launch of the new iPad mini 8, word out of Asia suggests that the device will feature a 60Hz OLED display rather than a ProMotion 120Hz display.
The information comes courtesy of a hit-and-miss tipster running the account "yeux1122" on the Korean Naver blog. "There have been mentions of 120Hz in some overseas reports, but the domestic production quantity has already been confirmed to be LTPS at 60Hz," the tipster wrote. "That's it."
It's not the first time we've heard that OLED iPad mini won't share the same ProMotion display as the iPad Pro models. In July, the same leaker claimed they had been told by a source in Apple's supply chain that the unreleased iPad mini is equipped with a low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) backplane hybrid OLED panel clocked at 60Hz.
Apple's iPad Pro models feature two-stack low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) OLED panels, which makes the display capable of dynamically adjusting its refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz (aka ProMotion). In contrast, LTPS OLED panels are usually paired with fixed refresh rates – such as 60Hz, 90Hz, or 120Hz – and are typically dimmer than LTPO panels.
If the leak is true, it's likely to disappoint iPad mini fans. Previous reports have not been clear on whether the iPad mini 8 will feature a higher refresh rate than the 60Hz LCD display used in the existing iPad mini 7. Given that the base iPhone 17 uses a 120Hz ProMotion panel, some would have believed it was reasonable to expect the same on the first OLED iPad mini. That said, the iPhone 17e goes to show that Apple is still in the 60Hz OLED business, so it might not consider the iPad mini to be a big enough market to justify the more advanced panel technology.
There are at least some other new features of the new iPad mini 8 that we can expect. It should come with a faster A20 Pro chip, FaceTime camera relocated from portrait to landscape orientation, a redesigned speaker system, and a water-resistant design.
The new iPad mini is expected at some point in October, but Apple has not yet announced a launch date. Apple will unveil some new home products on Tuesday, October 13, according to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. However, MacRumors' sources indicate that Apple plans to hold a separate event in the final week of October, so the iPad mini 8 could arrive then.
Update: Apple will debut the new iPad mini on or around Tuesday, October 27, reports Bloomberg.
