"The most powerful Apple gaming console" iPad mini 8: OLED is here, and the price is up in the air

For a product that has barely changed in five years, the update pace of the iPad mini has somewhat failed to live up to its reputation.

The good news is that after John Ternus, who oversees hardware, became CEO, Apple can no longer simply "swap a chip and call it an update."

Photo | The New York Times

That's right, the news that the iPad mini 8, which ifanr broke last year, will switch to an OLED screen now has support from more rigorous sources.

According to Mark Gurman, an Apple analyst at Bloomberg:

Apple is preparing a new iPad mini with the product codename J510, which is expected to debut as early as this fall's launch event and hit the market in October.

The J510 will be the biggest upgrade for the iPad mini since it switched to a full-screen design in 2021, with the most significant change being the long-awaited adoption of an OLED screen.

As the primary interface for human-computer interaction, the switch of the iPad mini from LCD to OLED is no less of a leap than the transition from the iPhone 11 to the iPhone 12 back in the day.

Photo | Medium

And compared to the iPhone and iPad Pro, upgrading to OLED is actually more critical for small-sized devices like the iPad mini.

Users who still insist on buying the iPad mini today usually don't treat it as a portable computer, but use it for on-the-go reading, video viewing, and most importantly: as a more comfortable gaming device than a smartphone.

After all, the iPad mini's larger display, bigger battery, more sufficient thermal capacity, and better speakers perfectly match all the advantages of a portable gaming console.

Photo | Laptop Mag

Switching from LCD to OLED will naturally allow the iPad mini 8 to run graphics-intensive mobile games or gacha games at an even better performance level.

The attention drawn by the OPPO Pad mini back in April has proven one thing:

At a time when foldable smartphones still come with many compromises, people's demand for a durable small tablet has not only not weakened, but is even growing stronger.

OPPO Pad mini

However, we should also note that Bloomberg did not reveal this time whether the new screen supports ProMotion high refresh rate, nor did it specify the processor model, body design, and water resistance of the new device.

Previous rumors about high refresh rates, water-resistant casings, and speaker designs with no openings are still just supply chain hearsay and cannot be regarded as confirmed specifications.

But considering that the standard iPhone 17 last year broke the "glass ceiling" and adopted ProMotion, we think the chances of the iPad mini 8 getting a high-refresh-rate screen are relatively high.

Photo | PhoneArena

But this OLED screen will undoubtedly make the iPad mini more expensive.

As a reference, Apple has just raised prices across its current product line, with both the entry-level iPad and iPad mini seeing a $100 price hike (corresponding to a starting price of 4,799 yuan in China):

This means that even if Apple does not raise the price further on the iPad mini 8, its actual entry barrier is much higher than that of the previous generation.

What's more challenging is that if the iPad mini 8 follows the strategy of using "the previous generation's iPhone Pro processor," it will face the dilemma of competing with the MacBook Neo for A18 Pro production capacity.

Apple has already temporarily expanded A18 Pro production to meet the strong demand for the MacBook Neo. If the iPad mini 8 also needs a share of that capacity, the supplementary production costs could rise even further.

Photo | TabletBlog

Apart from the selling price, Apple clearly understands that a single iPad mini cannot sustain its entire tablet business.

In Bloomberg's report, Mark Gurman also analyzed updates on other iPad product lines —

For example, the new iPad Air will still come in two sizes: 11-inch and 13-inch, with codenames J807 and J837 respectively, and is scheduled for release next spring.

Photo | CNET

At the same time, Apple is also developing an OLED version of the iPad Air, but has not yet announced a specific release date.

As for the lowest-priced entry-level iPad, Apple still has no plans to equip it with an OLED screen.

Photo | SPY

In short, this "phased deployment, rolling upgrade" strategy has always been Apple's familiar product approach:

First, let the most expensive iPad Pro use the most advanced screen to set the tone as a "premium feature," then gradually roll it out to the iPad mini and iPad Air.

The entry-level iPad, which focuses on high-volume sales, will continue to take on the responsibility of driving mass shipments.

Photo | Popular Science

Another reference point is that in the past six months, although its buzz has been less than that of the iPhone Ultra, the iPad business has exceeded Wall Street's expectations for two consecutive quarters.

Bloomberg predicts that iPad sales in fiscal 2026 will grow by about 6%, approaching $30 billion —

For a product line that analysts criticized just a few years ago for "lacking growth momentum," this recovery of the iPad business has given Apple a reason to continue updating its segmented models.

Photo | MacWorld

No matter how you look at it, the iPad mini 8 still cannot escape the impact of the iPhone Ultra.

According to forecasts and leaks, the inner screen of the iPhone Ultra is about 7.8 inches, which is quite close to the 8.3-inch iPad mini, and it may support the large-screen features in iPadOS:

Photo | X @VadimYuryev

For users who pursue a portable large-screen experience, the usage scenarios of these two products will inevitably overlap.

However, comparing the iPad mini, which costs more than 4,000 yuan, with the foldable iPhone, which is destined to exceed 15,000 yuan, is certainly unfair. The price will draw a clear enough line between them —

After all, the former is Apple's expensive technical sample for its first attempt at foldable screens, while the latter remains the most affordable and mature small-sized large-screen device in Apple's ecosystem.

Photo | TheVerge

Since its launch in 2012, the iPad mini has gradually been marginalized as smartphone screens grew larger.

Now, with its (relatively) solid price, it has unexpectedly taken on the core role of a family device, portable reader, and portable gaming console in this unstable era.

OLED won't suddenly turn the iPad mini 8 into Apple's most important product, but it at least shows that Apple has no intention of abandoning this small tablet.

This article is from the WeChat public account "ifanr" (ID: ifanr), written by Ma Fuyao, edited by Xiao Qinpeng, and published with authorization from 36Kr.