Ahead of the expected upcoming launch of the new iPad mini 8, rumors from Asia suggest that the device will feature a 60Hz OLED display rather than a 120Hz ProMotion display.
The information comes courtesy of a mercurial tipster who runs the “yeux1122” account on the Korean blog Naver. “There have been references to 120Hz in some foreign reports, but the domestic production quantity has already been confirmed to be 60Hz LTPS,” the tipster wrote. “That’s all.”
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 a source in Apple’s supply chain had told him that the unreleased iPad mini features a low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) backplane hybrid OLED panel clocked at 60Hz.
Apple’s iPad Pro models feature dual-stack low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) OLED panels, making the display capable of dynamically adjusting the refresh rate between 10 Hz and 120 Hz (also known as ProMotion). In contrast, LTPS OLED panels are usually paired with fixed refresh rates – such as 60Hz, 90Hz, or 120Hz – and are generally dimmer than LTPO panels.
If the leak is true, it is likely to disappoint fans of the iPad mini. Previous reports have been unclear as to whether the iPad mini 8 will feature a higher refresh rate than the 60Hz LCD display used in the current 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 shows that Apple is still in the 60Hz OLED business, so it may not consider the iPad mini a big enough market to justify the more advanced panel technology.
There are at least other new features we can expect from the new iPad mini 8. It is expected to come with a faster A20 Pro chip, the 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 introduce some new home products on Tuesday, October 13, according to a report from BloombergIt’s Mark Gurman. However, MacRumorsSources indicate that Apple plans to hold a separate event in the last week of October, so the iPad mini 8 could arrive on that date.
