iPad mini gets an 8.5-inch OLED and A20 Pro for $699

Apple announced a new iPad mini on October 26, 2026, with an 8.5-inch OLED display, the A20 Pro chip and a thinner, water-resistant body. It starts at $699 for the Wi-Fi model. That is $100 more than the current model's price, so Apple's smallest tablet is now a premium device rather than a budget one.

Pre-orders open on Wednesday, October 28. The first units arrive, and stores start selling it, on Friday, November 6.

What changed

Apple's press release calls this the iPad mini's "biggest update ever." The main changes:

Feature	New iPad mini
Display	8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, up from 8.3 inches
Brightness	600 nits full-screen, 1,200 nits peak
Chip	A20 Pro, built on a 2-nanometer process
Thickness	5.4 mm, down from 6.3 mm
Weight (Wi-Fi)	255 g, down from 297 g
Water and dust	IP67 rated
Cameras	12MP front (landscape edge), 12MP rear, 4K video at up to 60 fps
Wireless	Apple N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread
Cellular	Apple C2 modem with eSIM
Colors	Midnight and Starlight

OLED screens light each pixel on its own, so black areas are truly dark. Apple quotes a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. 9to5Mac reports bezels that are 24 percent thinner. MacRumors says the screen runs at 60Hz, with no ProMotion high-refresh mode mentioned.

IP67 means the tablet is sealed against dust and can survive a short dunk in water. The front camera uses Center Stage, which keeps your face in frame during video calls.

Image: Apple

Chip and storage

The A20 Pro comes in two versions, according to MacRumors and 9to5Mac. The 128GB and 256GB models get a 5-core CPU. The 512GB model gets a 6-core CPU and a dual 16-core Neural Engine, the part of the chip that runs AI tasks. Every model has a 7-core GPU.

MacRumors says Apple fitted speakers that work through the display. Apple says "specially designed woofers are paired through the display to produce punchier bass and more volume." A 35W or larger charger refills half the battery in 30 minutes, per MacRumors. A 20W adapter comes in the box.

Prices

Apple lists starting prices only.

Item	US price
iPad mini, Wi-Fi	from $699
iPad mini, Wi-Fi + Cellular	from $849
Education price	from $649
Nano-texture glass (256GB and 512GB only)	$100 extra
Apple Pencil (USB-C)	$79
Apple Pencil Pro	$129
TechWoven Smart Folio	$79

MacRumors notes the price history. The previous iPad mini launched at $499 in 2024, and Apple raised it to $599 in June 2026.

The rest of Apple's week

Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswiak posted on X: "It's going to be an exciting week, and it starts with our all-new iPad mini." 9to5Mac reports that Apple has invited press to a launch on Wednesday, October 28, under the tagline "Pro and tell." Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects new M6 Macs and a touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro, according to 9to5Mac. Apple has not confirmed those products.

What this means for developers

The new iPad mini changes the screen and the price point that app makers design for.

• Check your layouts on the larger screen. The display grows from 8.3 to 8.5 inches with thinner bezels. Test iPad layouts in the simulator once Apple publishes the new device profile.
• Test dark designs on OLED. True blacks make dark themes look different, and fine gray lines can vanish. Review dark-mode screens on real hardware.
• Do not assume 120Hz. Reports mention a 60Hz panel, so animation tuned for ProMotion iPads will look the same as before.
• Plan for on-device AI. The 512GB model has more AI hardware than the cheaper ones. If your app runs models locally, test on the 128GB version too.
• For fleet buyers, budget more. Teams that deploy minis in shops, clinics or field work now pay $699 or more. IP67 sealing may cut repair costs in wet or dusty jobs.

The device arrives November 6. Hands-on reviews after Wednesday's event will show how the OLED panel and A20 Pro hold up in daily use.