Apple unveils first OLED iPad mini with A20 Pro chip, starting at $699

Apple on October 26 announced a redesigned iPad mini, the biggest update to the line in years: it brings an 8.5-inch OLED display and an A20 Pro chip for the first time, along with IP67 water and dust resistance in a body just 5.4 mm thin.

Display and chip

The screen moves from the previous generation's 8.3-inch LCD to an 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, with bezels 24% thinner, a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 1,200 nits of HDR peak brightness; it stays at 60 Hz, with no ProMotion. The chip is the same A20 Pro as in the iPhone 18 Pro, which Apple says can run local large language models; however, the 128GB and 256GB models have a 5-core CPU, and only the 512GB model gets a 6-core CPU with dual Neural Engines.

Other specifications

Connectivity covers Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread via Apple's N1 chip, while cellular models use Apple's C2 modem, 50% faster than the previous modem. Both cameras are 12 megapixels, with a landscape Center Stage front camera and a rear camera supporting Smart HDR 4 and 4K video at 60 frames per second, plus Apple Pencil Pro support. There is also a new Acoustic Display speaker system, and a nano-texture glass option for $100 extra on the 256GB and 512GB models.

Pricing and availability

The Wi-Fi model starts at $699 (128GB) and the cellular model at $849; the 256GB Wi-Fi model is $799 and the 512GB Wi-Fi model $999. Colours are limited to Midnight and Starlight, and a new TechWoven Smart Folio costs $79. Pre-orders open Wednesday, October 28 at 10:10 a.m. Pacific Time, with availability from Friday, November 6 in 36 countries including the US.

Second price rise this year

This is the mini's second price rise this year: the A17 Pro model launched at $499 in 2024, was raised to $599 earlier in 2026 amid memory and chip shortages, and now rises another $100 — though that is less than the $200 increase previously rumoured.