Monday, October 26, 2026 All things Geek
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New iPad Mini Announced

by johnadeleon

Apple today unveiled the all-new iPad mini, featuring a stunning OLED display in an even thinner and lighter design, a huge leap in performance with A20 Pro, and water and dust resistance. The larger 8.5-inch OLED display, also available with a nano-texture option, delivers higher contrast and more than 2x higher peak brightness than the previous-generation iPad mini for a brilliant and immersive viewing experience. A20 Pro supercharges AI with Neural Accelerators in each GPU core and Dual 16-core Neural Engine. iPad mini now has a 12MP Center Stage front camera on the landscape edge that’s perfect for video calls, an innovative Acoustic Display for an even better audio experience, faster wireless and cellular connectivity, and fast-charge support. With its incredible set of advanced features, it’s the most capable and versatile iPad mini ever.

iPad Mini (Apple)

The new iPad mini is powered by iPadOS 27 with the next generation of Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, which can draw on a user’s personal context to help them find what they need, answer questions on virtually any topic with broad world knowledge, and understand what’s on their screen. The combination of powerful features and game-changing iPadOS 27 capabilities makes the new iPad mini a compelling value. Customers can pre-order it along with the new Smart Folio starting Wednesday, October 28, with availability beginning Friday, November 6.

“iPad mini is beloved for its fantastic portability, performance, and display by a wide range of users, from creators and small business owners to doctors, field service workers, and gamers,” said Dave Pakula, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering. “With a remarkably thinner and lighter design, a stunning new OLED display, the incredibly powerful A20 Pro, and water and dust resistance, the new iPad mini is a huge leap forward for users who love having the full iPad experience in the palm of their hand.”

iPad Mini (Apple)

Thinner and Lighter Than Ever

At 5.4 mm thin, the new iPad mini is more portable than ever, and is available in two gorgeous finishes: a new midnight and a beautiful starlight. Remarkably thinner and lighter than the previous generation, iPad mini is now even easier to carry, whether a user is reading, working on the go, or using it with one hand. It also features an IP67 rating to protect against water and dust — ideal for a range of use cases, such as working outside on a rainy day or reading by the pool.

A Stunning OLED Display

The new iPad mini comes with a stunning OLED display that delivers amazing front-of-screen performance and an even larger 8.5-inch size while maintaining the same footprint as the previous mini, thanks to 24 percent thinner bezels. The Super Retina XDR display features OLED technology to deliver pixel-level lighting control for much deeper blacks and support for the P3 wide color gamut for more vivid and accurate imagery.

For an even better visual experience across a range of lighting conditions, iPad mini also features peak brightness of up to 1200 nits — more than 2x higher than the previous generation — and supports 600 nits of full-screen brightness for SDR and HDR content, along with a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. And with a 1-nit minimum brightness, iPad mini is even more suitable for dim environments, from users reading in bed at night to pilots checking their electronic flight bag in the cockpit. iPad mini also offers a new nano-texture display option, which users love on iPad Pro, that reduces glare in bright environments — ideal for creatives editing outdoors or technicians working in the field. Together, these display advancements extend the versatility of iPad mini across an even wider range of use cases.

A Huge Leap in Performance

A20 Pro delivers a giant leap in performance for iPad mini, significantly boosting graphics and AI-intensive tasks. It is built using Apple’s latest 2-nanometer process technology and a new package inspired by M-series chips. Powered by a 7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators in each GPU core, iPad mini delivers up to 4.5x faster AI performance than the previous generation — perfect for AI tasks ranging from running on-device models in creative apps to running local LLMs. And with the latest graphics architecture, including dynamic caching and hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing, graphics performance jumps by up to 2.7x — great for gaming and 3D rendering. A20 Pro also features up to a 6-core CPU for up to 60 percent faster multithreaded performance for everyday tasks like editing photos and working across apps.

The 512GB configuration features a powerful Dual 16-core Neural Engine, which offers double the processing power of the previous generation, accelerating tasks in apps like Draw Things and Detail. By engaging all 32 cores, A20 Pro becomes a powerhouse for more advanced on-device AI workloads. A20 Pro also brings over a 2x increase in unified memory bandwidth, unlocking additional performance for new levels of capability and responsiveness across graphics and AI-intensive workloads.

A Rich New Audio Experience and Advanced Cameras

The new iPad mini features an innovative Acoustic Display for an even better audio experience when gaming, watching videos, or editing content. Specially designed woofers are paired through the display to produce punchier bass and more volume. In addition, custom tweeters are now hidden between the glass and aluminum enclosure for clearer highs. The Acoustic Display also features a sealed enclosure that helps iPad mini achieve its IP67 rating.

The 12MP Center Stage front camera is now on the landscape edge, perfect for FaceTime calls, video conferencing, and collaboration. And the 12MP Wide back camera captures gorgeous photos with Smart HDR 4 and 4K video at up to 60 fps, while the addition of an Adaptive True Tone flash improves photos and makes document scanning better than ever.

N1 and C2 Come to iPad mini

iPad mini now features N1, an Apple-designed wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. N1 brings better performance when connected to 5GHz Wi-Fi networks and improves the overall performance and reliability of features like AirDrop and AirPlay.

Cellular models of the new iPad mini feature C2, Apple’s next-generation cellular modem system. C2 enables up to 50 percent faster cellular data speeds compared to the previous generation of iPad mini, with even greater power efficiency. And with iPadOS 27, moving between cellular and Wi-Fi networks is more seamless than ever, so users can stay connected on a FaceTime call even while they’re in transit. Users can also enjoy the benefits of eSIM, which lets them quickly and securely add a new plan, connect and transfer existing plans digitally, and stay in touch with family and friends regardless of Wi-Fi availability.

iPad Mini (Apple)
iPad Mini (Apple)

Pricing And Availability:

  • Customers can pre-order iPad mini with A20 Pro starting Wednesday, October 28, at apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 36 countries and regions, including the U.S. It will begin arriving to customers, and will be in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, starting Friday, November 6.
  • iPad mini will be available in midnight and starlight with 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB configurations.
  • iPad mini starts at $699 (U.S.) or $58.25 (U.S.) per month for 12 months for the Wi-Fi model, and $849 (U.S.) or $70.75 (U.S.) per month for 12 months for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.11
  • Apple Upgrade leasing prices for the iPad mini start at $14.99 (U.S.) per month for a 36-month lease for the Wi-Fi model, and $18.21 (U.S.) per month for a 36-month lease for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.12
  • With education savings, iPad mini starts at $649 (U.S.) or $54.08 (U.S.) per month for 12 months.11
  • The new TechWoven Smart Folio is available in navy blue and taupe, and is available for $79 (U.S.).
  • Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C) are compatible with the new iPad mini. Apple Pencil Pro is available for $129 (U.S.) and $119 (U.S.) with education savings. Apple Pencil (USB-C) is available for $79 (U.S.) and $69 (U.S.) with education savings.
  • AppleCare delivers exceptional service and support, with flexible options for Apple users. Customers can choose AppleCare+ to cover their new iPad or, in available markets, AppleCare One to protect multiple products in one simple plan. Both plans include coverage for accidents like drops and spills, theft and loss protection on eligible products, battery replacement service, and priority support from Apple Experts. In the U.S., customers can also choose AppleCare One Family, which extends that same coverage to every eligible device across an Apple Family Sharing group for one fixed monthly price. For more information, visit apple.com/applecare.
  • Apple offers great ways to save on the latest iPad. Customers can trade in their current iPad and get credit toward a new one by visiting the Apple Store online, the Apple Store app, or an Apple Store location. To see what their device is worth, and for terms and conditions, customers can visit apple.com/shop/trade-in.13
  • Customers in the U.S. who shop at Apple using Apple Card14 can pay monthly at 0 percent APR when they choose to check out with Apple Card Monthly Installments,15 and they’ll get 3 percent Daily Cash back — all up front. More information — including details on eligibility, exclusions, and Apple Card terms — is available at apple.com/apple-card/monthly-installments.
  • Customers in the U.S. can also pay for their Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad mini over time when they choose to finance with a carrier.

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