Yahoo Autos 2025 Mini Cooper reveals its OLED screen, retro gauges and dog assistant
We got to see the 2025 Mini Cooper’s interior the other week, but now Mini is peeling back the veil on everything there is to know about the new round screen in the center and the all-new software it’s running.
Mini is calling this fancy, round screen the “Mini Interaction Unit.” From a hardware perspective, it’s rather special. The super-thin screen itself is a perfect circle and measures 9.4 inches in diameter. That might sound small in the world of ever-increasing car screens, but every other screen out there is rectangular, so the measurement applies in every direction, rather than just the diagonal of a rectangular screen. We sat in the driver’s seat of the new Mini, and there’s certainly no lack of screen size to be seen here.
To make matters even better, Mini is using OLED technology — Samsung is the supplier — for this round screen. That means extra vivid colors and the darkest-possible blacks. Cadillac uses OLED tech for its screens in the Escalade, too, and the result is beautiful.
Of course, the software playing on this screen is the real star of the show, and it’s called Mini Operating System 9. It’s a completely new-from-the-ground-up software suite, and you can wave goodbye to the old BMW iDrive control knob, too, because this is touch-control-only. The pictures describe the design aesthetic best. It’s vibrant, colorful, modern and full of pleasant surprises. We'll also note that while the photos here depict the electric Mini Cooper, the new Countryman will feature the same screen setup.
What you see on screen is largely dependent on what “Experience Mode” you’re in. Those include Core, Go-Kart, Green, Balance, Timeless, Vivid and Personal (Trail is added for the Countryman). Core is going to be your standard mode that provides a simple interface with your navigation, media and phone status spread out across the screen. A lot changes in the other modes, but certain things remain consistent across all modes including the auto climate controls, speedometer, range and the shortcut bar at the bottom with often-used menus. You can store even more (customizable) frequently used commands into a “tool belt” that is accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. And for those worried about Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, we can confirm that Mini did a lovely job of making that rectangular interface look professional on a round screen. The edges of the phone interface simply bleed out into a background that looks like an extension of whatever CarPlay or Android Auto are featuring, so it doesn’t look out of place whatsoever.
For sporty driving, Mini has Go-Kart mode that turns the screen black and red, adopts a big speedo and adjusts the optional ambient lighting in the cabin to match the screen colors. This lighting projection corresponds with every mode, too, so your cabin will always be lit up in a matching color to the “Experience Mode.” Beyond the screen customization, Go-Kart also brings unique noises played over the speakers for the electric model, and it changes the throttle response for more dynamic driving.
