The new iPad mini has an OLED display, but the device does not support ProMotion, meaning the display's refresh rate is limited to 60Hz instead of 120Hz. Apple said OLED displays still have significantly faster pixel response times compared to LCDs, resulting in reduced motion blur, but The Verge's David Pierce is not entirely satisfied.
From his iPad mini 8 review:
Apple's answer, to Chris Lawley and others, has been something to the effect of "120Hz is irrelevant, OLED's faster pixel response solves the problems." I don't agree. I don't think the lack of ProMotion is an immediate and total dealbreaker, but refresh rates matter! To games and high-touch creative apps, of course, but you notice the difference even with basic swiping and zooming. The Apple Pencil feels more juddery moving across my screen. On a 120Hz screen, I can scroll a browser page and still clearly read the text as it's moving. With 60Hz, it gets blurry. In all these cases, even if you don't explicitly see the difference, you really do feel it.
Of course, an OLED display is still a big upgrade overall.
OLED technology allows for higher contrast and more vivid colors, as there is no backlight and individual pixels turn off completely to display true black. Apple also says the new iPad mini can achieve a maximum brightness of 600 nits for standard content, up from 500 nits for the previous model, and up to 1,200 nits for HDR content.
Apple's tech specs indicate the new iPad mini has a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio.
The new iPad mini is available to pre-order now, with U.S. pricing starting at $699 for a model with 128GB of storage. The device launches Friday.
