iPad mini (A20 Pro, 2026): OLED, Price, Specs and Release Date

Key facts

Price: Wi-Fi from $699, Wi-Fi + Cellular from $849; education pricing from $649. Storage options are 128GB, 256GB and 512GB.
Display: 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED in the same footprint as before thanks to 24% thinner bezels; up to 1200 nits peak, 600 nits full-screen, 1-nit minimum, 2,000,000:1 contrast; optional nano-texture glass.
Chip: A20 Pro on a 2-nanometer process, up to a 6-core CPU and a 7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators. Apple claims up to 60% faster multithreaded CPU, up to 2.7x faster graphics and up to 4.5x faster AI performance than the previous mini.
Design: 5.4mm thin, IP67 rating, midnight or starlight.
Cameras: 12MP Center Stage front camera now on the landscape edge; 12MP Wide back camera with 4K video at up to 60 fps and an Adaptive True Tone flash.
Wireless: Apple's N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread; cellular models use Apple's C2 modem, which Apple says is up to 50% faster than the previous mini.
Accessories: TechWoven Smart Folio $79; works with Apple Pencil Pro ($129) and Apple Pencil USB-C ($79).

Apple announced a redesigned iPad mini on October 26, 2026, in what Apple calls the biggest update the small tablet has had: an 8.5-inch OLED display, the A20 Pro chip, an IP67 water and dust rating, and a 5.4mm body. Pre-orders open Wednesday, October 28, in 36 countries and regions including the US, with availability from Friday, November 6. Prices start at $699.

New iPad mini Gets OLED, A20 Pro and IP67 for $699; Pre-Orders Open October 28

What changed

The switch to OLED is the big one. Deeper blacks, higher contrast and more than double the peak brightness should make the mini much better outdoors and for HDR video, while the 1-nit minimum helps for night reading. The new IP67 rating and the landscape front camera fix two long-standing complaints about using the mini as a reading and video-call device.

One detail is easy to miss: Apple says the Dual 16-core Neural Engine is on the 512GB configuration. Buyers who care about on-device AI should check which Neural Engine their chosen storage tier gets.

Our take

At $699, the new mini costs more than many people expect to pay for a small tablet, but it is no longer a compromise device. The OLED screen and IP67 rating make it a strong e-reader and travel tablet, and the A20 Pro is far more than most iPad mini tasks need.

Who should buy it: owners of older minis who read, take notes with Apple Pencil, or use the tablet outdoors or in cockpits and field work, where the brighter, glare-reducing screen options matter. Who should wait: people who mostly stream video in bed, where a cheaper base iPad may do the job, and anyone hoping for a lower entry price.

Our iPad mini A20 Pro buying guide walks through storage, Wi-Fi versus cellular, and the nano-texture option.

Where to buy

Pre-order the new iPad mini

Editorial disclosure

SurfGirl may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. That does not affect our coverage. Specifications and performance claims are Apple's; we have not tested the new iPad mini.