The new iPad mini with OLED: what changes for repairs

Apple introduced the new iPad mini on 26 October. It ships from 6 November. The screen now measures 8.5 inches and is an OLED screen for the first time. According to Apple it is much brighter than on the previous model, and you can order it with an anti-reflective nano-texture surface if you like.

It is also the first iPad with an official water and dust rating, namely IP67. The body has become thinner and lighter, and the front camera now sits on the long side, to suit landscape use.

The most striking change is in the sound. The speakers work under the screen, and Apple calls it an “acoustic display”. According to Apple, the closed body without large speaker openings also helps with water protection.

Previous iPad mini models had an LCD behind the glass. OLED screens are harder to make, and that shows in the price of the replacement part. It has been like this with smartphones for years, and the iPad mini will be no different.

Whether Apple has also connected the speakers so closely to the screen on the mini that both have to be replaced together will only become clear from a teardown. By the time this article was published, there had not been one yet. We will update the text as soon as it is clear how the device is built inside.

The iPad Pro with M4, which also has an OLED screen, gives a point of reference. In our price list, a screen replacement for the 11-inch iPad Pro with M4 and an original part costs 669 euros. The mini has a smaller screen, so we expect a lower price, but we will only quote a price for the new model once replacement parts are available.

IP67 means that, when new, the device can survive being briefly submerged up to one metre deep. Apple achieves this protection with adhesive and seals between the screen and the body.

When a screen is replaced, a new adhesive seal goes in. That protects well, but nobody can guarantee the factory rating after the device has been opened, not even Apple. That is why we tell you this honestly before every repair.

Even on a new device the protection weakens over time, because adhesives age. So the iPad mini will survive a splash or a quick dip, but it is not a device for the bathtub.

As with almost all iPads, the way to the battery leads through the screen. For a battery replacement, the bonded screen has to come off first, and that takes time and care.

According to Macwelt, the battery in the new model is slightly smaller than in the previous one. How long it lasts in everyday use will only become clear over the coming months. For you, this means that a battery replacement on the iPad mini always includes a screen job, and that is why it belongs in experienced hands.

The new iPad mini costs from 749 euros in Germany. With a device this new, Apple is the first port of call for a fault that was not caused by a drop or water damage, because the manufacturer’s warranty covers manufacturing defects.

The warranty does not cover a drop. If you use your mini a lot on the go, a sturdy case will serve you better than any repair, and a case with a raised edge protects the corners in particular, which is where tablets usually land.

If it has happened anyway, come by. The diagnosis is free, even if you decide against the repair afterwards. After the diagnosis you get a quote, and we only repair once you agree.