New Generation iPad Mini Uses OLED Screen, Its Price Makes You Curious

The iPad mini OLED has started to be produced. (photo: x @MrMakiri)

JAKARTA - News about the presence of the latest generation iPad mini with a premium OLED screen panel has resurfaced. Although rumors about the use of this expensive screen technology have been heard for a long time, there is one new information that is quite interesting. Apple's flagship mini tablet is likely to be launched shortly after the release of the iPhone 18 Pro line.

The device, which is reported to have the code name J510, is currently in the final stages of the development process. Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman did not explicitly mention that this tablet has entered the mass production line. However, Apple must immediately start mass assembly in order to pursue the launch schedule that has been formulated.

Release Schedule

The launch of this new unit is expected to take place as early as October, right after the release cycle of the iPhone 18 Pro is completed. Although the launch schedule has begun to be read, the price aspect for the latest iPad mini is still a big mystery that has not been solved.

As a reminder, the market price for the current generation iPad mini was raised to 599 US dollars. Given that the production cost of OLED panels is much more expensive than ordinary LEDs, the potential for price increases seems to be happening again on this latest model.

Regarding the mass production schedule, another report on July 14 also indicated that the screen components for the OLED iPad mini were already being produced. However, it is not yet certain whether the report refers to the cutting of raw OLED sheets or the final assembly process of the screen panel itself.

Layered Screen and Kitchen Specs Leak

Based on rumors circulating, the screen of the latest iPad mini will use an 8.4-inch LTPS back panel with OLED hybrid technology. Unfortunately, this screen is rumored to only support a refresh rate of 60Hz. This means users will not experience the super smooth ProMotion feature like the Pro variant.

For comparison, the current iPad mini model still uses an 8.3-inch LED backlit IPS screen. The screen has a resolution of 2,266 x 1,488 pixels, a density of 326 ppi, and a maximum brightness level of up to 500 nits.

The evolution towards an OLED-based iPad mini has actually been predicted for a long time and is now showing a light at the end of the tunnel. In August 2025, an internal code leak indicated a major overhaul, including the use of new chips and the adoption of an OLED screen. Entering October 2025, another report predicted a release in early 2026, although the prediction eventually missed.

Furthermore, a technology leaker in November 2025 stated that the transition to the new OLED will occur at the end of 2026, which is in line with the current schedule. A month later, namely December 2025, a source from China said that Apple will immediately embed the latest A20 chip, instead of the A19 chip that was rumored earlier. This strategy is certainly a big leap considering that the current iPad mini still relies on the A17 Pro chip with a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine.