Apple is planning major display upgrades for three future products, according to a new report. The same report also points out another upgrade specific to the iPad mini.
More OLED screens for Mac and iPad
Bloomberg’s Mark Garman reported that Apple is testing future versions of the MacBook Air, iPad Air, and iPad mini with OLED screen technology.
Apple currently uses OLED technology in its iPhone, iPad Pro, and Apple Watch. Apple Vision Pro uses micro OLED.
The company is already rumored to be developing the first MacBook Pro with an OLED screen.
That hardware won’t be arriving anytime soon, however, as Apple is expected to use existing display technology in its yet-to-be-announced M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models.
Instead, Apple is reportedly planning to redesign the MacBook Pro with M6 Pro and M6 Max versions. These will likely arrive sometime in 2027.
That means we may have to wait even longer for the first OLED MacBook Air. Apple has not yet updated the MacBook Air to the latest M5 chip. The chip was just announced this month and is included in the new Apple Vision Pro, iPad Pro, and entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro.
Garman points out that the first OLED MacBook Air won’t arrive until 2028 at the earliest. Meanwhile, the M5 upgrade is scheduled to replace the current M4 MacBook Air this spring.
iPad mini will be further upgraded
So which of the three devices might make the switch to OLED first? Garman says the iPad mini is likely to be the first to make the move. Additionally, he reports that Apple is developing a new water-resistant design for the iPad mini.
Garman said Apple’s approach to water resistance on the iPad mini is different than the iPhone.
As part of that push, Apple considered new speaker systems that use vibration-related technology. This change allowed the company to remove holes in the speakers that could allow water to enter. This is a different approach than the iPhone’s water-resistant design, which leaves the hole in place but adds a gasket or adhesive to prevent damage.
Apple released the current iPad mini in October 2024 with added Apple Intelligence support. The last revised version was released three years ago in September 2021.
price increase
The iPad mini update is expected to be released as early as 2026. Garman also added that the price could go up by $100.
The iPad mini with A17 Pro starts at $499, so the OLED model starts at $599. Prices for the M3 iPad Air start at $599.
Although not mentioned in the report, it wouldn’t be surprising if the price of the iPad Air also skyrocketed. Even then, there would still be a difference of several hundred dollars between the starting prices of the iPad Air and iPad Pro.
Finally, the report concludes by stating that based on Apple’s current plans, Apple’s entry-level iPad will not be able to switch to OLED, which makes sense given the iPad’s position in the lineup.
You can read the full report on Bloomberg.
