Apple unveils redesigned iPad mini with OLED screen and water resistance

Apple announced a refreshed iPad mini that is slimmer, lighter and equipped with an OLED screen. The device, which Apple describes as its most substantial redesign, does not include ProMotion and is limited to a 60 Hz refresh rate.

"Display experience is about more than just a single spec. One of the things that’s really cool about OLED is it actually has this really fast pixel response time… Motion blur is significantly reduced compared to LCD," said Dave Pakula, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering, in an interview with Chris Lawley. The new iPad mini also gains an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance, a first for the product line. Pakula explained that Apple achieved this with an "Acoustic Display" that uses custom drivers to emit sound through the enclosure for mid and low frequencies, supplemented by tweeters for higher frequencies. "The result is we have this product that’s water and dust resistant. I think the sound that comes from it is so surprising for a form factor of this size," he added. Pakula highlighted the device’s compatibility with the broader iPad ecosystem, noting its support for the Apple Pencil Pro and iPadOS multitasking features, and its access to the App Store’s extensive catalog.