Summary
Apple has announced a redesigned iPad mini with an 8.5-inch OLED display, A20 Pro chip, Wi-Fi 7 and an IP67 rating. US prices start at $699, with pre-orders opening October 28.
Apple announced a redesigned iPad mini on October 26, 2026, with an 8.5-inch OLED display, A20 Pro chip and IP67-rated resistance to water and dust. The tablet is 5.4 mm thick, and Apple says the larger screen fits within the previous model’s footprint because its bezels are 24 percent thinner.
The update also brings Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread support, a landscape-edge 12-megapixel front camera, and a new speaker design. US prices start at $699 for the Wi-Fi model and $849 for Wi-Fi + Cellular. Pre-orders open October 28 in 36 countries and regions, including the US, with availability beginning November 6.
OLED display in the same footprint
The Super Retina XDR screen uses OLED, which lets the display control light at the pixel level and produce deeper blacks. Apple specifies a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a minimum brightness of 1 nit, and peak brightness of up to 1,200 nits. Full-screen brightness is rated at 600 nits for SDR and HDR content. Apple says peak brightness is more than twice that of the previous-generation mini.
A nano-texture display option is designed to reduce glare in bright surroundings. The device is available in midnight and starlight, with storage configurations of 128GB, 256GB and 512GB.
A20 Pro, connectivity and launch details
Apple says the A20 Pro is built using a 2-nanometre process and has a 7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators in each GPU core. Compared with the previous generation, Apple reports up to 4.5 times faster AI performance, up to 2.7 times faster graphics performance and up to 60 percent faster multithreaded CPU performance. The 512GB configuration has a Dual 16-core Neural Engine. These are company-reported, maximum performance gains; Apple says its testing was conducted in September 2026.
The Apple-designed N1 chip enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread. Cellular models use the C2 modem, which Apple says enables up to 50 percent faster cellular data speeds than the previous mini. Actual cellular speeds depend on carrier and site conditions.
The IP67 rating was tested under controlled laboratory conditions under IEC standard 60529, at a maximum depth of 1 metre for up to 30 minutes. Apple cautions that resistance can decline with normal wear and that liquid damage is not covered under warranty.
The iPad mini runs iPadOS 27. Apple says Siri AI is available in beta with iPadOS 27.2 and supports English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. In the US, the new Smart Folio costs $79. The tablet is also compatible with Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), sold separately.