Ahead of the expected imminent launch of the new iPad mini 8, rumors out of Asia suggest that the device will feature a 60Hz OLED display instead of a 120Hz ProMotion display. The information comes courtesy of an unpredictable tipster running the “yeux1122” account on Korean blog Naver. “There have been mentions of 120 Hz in some foreign reports, but the domestic production quantity has already been confirmed to be LTPS at 60 Hz,” the tipster wrote. “That’s all.” This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that the iPad mini OLED 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 them 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 OxideOLED panels. dual-cell low-temperature polycrystalline (LTPO), making the display capable of dynamically adjusting its refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz (also known as ProMotion). In contrast, LTPS OLED panels are typically paired with fixed refresh rates, such as 60Hz, 90Hz, or 120Hz, and are typically dimmer than LTPO panels. If the leak is true, it is likely to disappoint iPad mini fans. Previous reports have been unclear about whether the iPad mini 8 will feature a higher refresh rate than the 60Hz LCD screen used on 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 shows 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 more advanced panel technology. There are at least a few other new features of the new iPad mini 8 that we can expect. It should come with a faster A20 Pro chip, a FaceTime camera relocated from portrait to landscape orientation, a redesigned speaker system, and a water-resistant design. The new iPad mini is expected to arrive sometime in October, but Apple has not yet announced a release date. Apple will introduce 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 last week of October, so the iPad mini 8 could arrive then. Update: Apple will unveil the new iPad mini on or around Tuesday, October 27, Bloomberg reports.
