Header: Courtesy of Apple Inc.
Apple has just released their newest iPad mini, now 5.4 mm thin and fitted with an OLED display of 8.5 inches, about 21.6 cm measured diagonally, which replaces the 8.3-inch LCD screen of the previous model. Announced on the 26th of October, 2026, it can be pre-ordered from the 28th of October in 36 countries and regions, arriving in shops on the 6th of November.
“The iPad mini is beloved for its fantastic portability, performance and display by a wide range of users.”
Dave Pakula, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering
The OLED display
OLED is a screen technology in which every pixel produces its own light, so black areas can be switched off entirely, having already been used by Apple in the iPhone, the Apple Watch and the iPad Pro. On the iPad mini, the screen grew while the tablet kept the same size as before, as the black borders around it are now 24% thinner. At its brightest, it reaches 1,200 nits, the unit used to measure screen brightness, which is more than twice the previous model, and it can also dim down to a single nit.
For those working in bright light, a nano-texture glass is offered as an option, its surface having been etched at a microscopic scale to scatter reflections and reduce glare.
A thinner, sealed body
The tablet is 14% thinner than the 2024 model, which measured 6.3 mm, and it weighs 255 g for the Wi-Fi version and 263 g with cellular, against 293 g and 297 g before. It is covered in aluminium and glass, with the case now being sealed, which helped give the iPad mini an IP67 rating.
As for sound, Apple calls the new system the Acoustic Display, in which woofers, the speakers that produce low sounds, work through the screen itself to give stronger bass and more volume. Custom tweeters for the higher sounds, meanwhile, were hidden between the glass and the aluminium.
The A20 Pro chip
Inside, the tablet is powered by the A20 Pro, a chip built on a 2-nanometre process that allows more of them to fit in the same space. According to Apple, it is up to 60% faster than the previous chip on tasks that use all its cores and up to 2.7 times faster for graphics. Each of its seven graphics cores was also given its own unit for artificial intelligence.
The front camera, meanwhile, was moved to the long edge of the tablet, so it sits at the top when the iPad mini is held horizontally. Both cameras are 12 megapixels, and the cellular models now work with eSIM only.
Recycled materials
Overall, 35% of the materials in the new iPad mini are recycled, including all the aluminium in the enclosure and all the cobalt in the battery. Its packaging is made entirely from paper fibre, and Apple says that 40% of the energy used across its supply chain to make it came from renewable sources.
