Apple MacBook Pro and iPad mini OLED: Rumors reveal new details just ahead of launch

Apple is rumored to be planning two launch events in October. The first is expected to take place as early as Tuesday, October 13, and mark, among other things, the debut of Apple's smart home hub with a square 7-inch touchscreen. This event is also expected to bring a new Apple TV 4K, a HomePod mini with Siri AI, and the next-generation iPad mini ($569 on Amazon).

The compact tablet will reportedly not only receive an upgrade to the Apple A20 Pro ARM chip, but will also feature an OLED panel instead of an IPS panel for the first time. However, leaker yeux1122 now reiterates that Apple will not use a modern 120 Hz LTPO OLED panel, but rather a cheaper 60 Hz LTPS OLED panel. This not only makes animations look less smooth, but also makes the tablet significantly less appealing to gaming enthusiasts, even though its fast processor and compact form factor would otherwise make it perfect for gaming.

MacBook Pro expected to become lighter, but barely thinner

At the second launch event, expected to take place in the last week of October, Apple is set to announce new Macs, led by the next-generation MacBook Pro, which could also be called MacBook Ultra. After Bloomberg editor Mark Gurman recently stated that the device is expected to become significantly lighter, he now adds that the laptop will only be marginally thinner.

For context: The 14-inch MacBook Pro is 15.5 mm thick and weighs 1.6 kg, while the 16-inch model is 16.8 mm thick and weighs 2.15 kg. Aside from a completely revamped design, the MacBook Pro is primarily expected to receive an OLED touchscreen that replaces the notch with a Dynamic Island. However, the device will reportedly use the Apple M5 Pro and M5 Max, which were already used in the previous model.