THE CRUNCH
Apple has announced a new iPad mini, days ahead of its "Pro and Tell" event. The 2026 model moves to an 8.5-inch OLED display, up from the previous 8.3-inch panel, with 24 percent thinner bezels keeping the overall form factor small. Apple claims the screen can hit 1,200 nits peak brightness, twice the 2024 model, and sustain 600 nits across the full screen. The tablet also gains a first for Apple: an "Acoustic Display", with woofers embedded through the panel and tweeters tucked between the glass and aluminium enclosure for, in Apple's telling, punchier bass and clearer highs.
Inside is the A20 Pro chip that debuted with the iPhone 18 Pro earlier this year, which Tom's Hardware reported in September outperforms all other smartphone processors by a wide margin, and which Apple pitches as well suited to running local AI models. The Verge notes the chip enables some of Apple's new Siri features, including adjusting the assistant's expressiveness and pace. There's a wrinkle in the lineup: the 128GB and 256GB models get a five-core CPU, while the 512GB version gets six cores. All models carry a 16-core Neural Engine, plus Apple's N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, and cellular variants use the C2 modem, which Apple says delivers 50 percent faster data speeds than before.
The body is now 5.4mm thick and lighter than its predecessor, and the enclosure is sealed to an IP67 rating against water and dust. The front camera is a 12MP Centre Stage unit on the long edge for landscape video calls, with a 12MP rear camera supporting 4K video at 60 frames per second. Battery life is rated at up to 10 hours of video or web browsing on Wi-Fi. One thing that hasn't changed: there's still no ProMotion, with the display capped at a 60Hz refresh rate.
Storage doubles at the base, with 128GB, 256GB and 512GB options in midnight or starlight, and the glare-reducing nano-texture coating available on the two higher capacities. But the price has climbed sharply: the Wi-Fi model starts at $699, $200 more than the 2024 iPad mini's $499 launch price, with cellular from $849. That 2024 model was a modest spec bump that The Verge's reviewer called a "new low for the product", so this year's overhaul arrives after a lukewarm predecessor. Pre-orders open on 28 October, with availability from 6 November.