OLED iPad mini: price, specs, availability

Apple's redesigned iPad mini is on sale now. Pre-orders that opened October 28 began arriving Friday, November 6, and the tablet is in Apple Stores and authorized resellers. The big changes are an 8.5-inch OLED Super Retina XDR display, Apple's A20 Pro chip, IP67 water and dust resistance, and a thinner 5.4 mm body that Apple calls its lightest iPad yet.

US pricing starts at $699 for the 128GB Wi-Fi model — $100 more than the previous mini's launch price. Cellular models start at $849. Colors are Midnight and Starlight. Storage options are 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. Prices and availability below were checked against Apple's Newsroom, product page, tech specs, and the live US store on November 7, 2026.

OLED iPad mini price and configurations

Here is the US lineup Apple is selling:

Wi-Fi: 128GB $699, 256GB $799, 512GB $999. Wi-Fi + Cellular: 128GB $849, 256GB $949, 512GB $1,149. Education pricing starts at $649 for Wi-Fi. Apple Card Monthly Installments list about $58.25 per month for 12 months on the $699 model, and Apple Upgrade leasing starts at $14.99 per month for 36 months.

Nano-texture glass — the glare-cutting finish familiar from iPad Pro — is an option on 256GB and 512GB models and adds $100. It is not offered on the 128GB base. The new TechWoven Smart Folio is $79 (navy blue or taupe). Apple Pencil Pro is $129 ($119 with education savings); Apple Pencil (USB-C) is $79 ($69 education).

Both finishes and the main configs are listed as available to buy on apple.com. Shipping and in-store stock vary by configuration, as they do for the Macs that also landed November 6.

Display: first OLED mini, still 60Hz

The panel is an 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED at 2316×1512 (326 ppi), up from the previous mini's LCD. Apple says bezels are 24 percent thinner, so the screen grows while the overall footprint stays familiar. Peak brightness reaches 1,200 nits for HDR highlights, with 600 nits full-screen for SDR and HDR, a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 1-nit minimum brightness, P3 wide color, and True Tone.

What it does not get is ProMotion. The display stays at 60Hz, which early coverage has flagged as the main compromise versus iPad Pro and Air. For reading, notes, and most video that is fine; for competitive games or stylus sketching that benefits from 120Hz, it is the clearest gap.

A20 Pro, AI, and the 512GB chip bump

A20 Pro is built on Apple's latest 2-nanometer process with packaging inspired by M-series chips. Apple claims up to 60 percent faster multithreaded CPU performance and up to 2.7x faster GPU performance versus the previous mini (A17 Pro), plus up to 4.5x faster on-device AI token generation for local language models. The GPU includes Neural Accelerators in each core, dynamic caching, and hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing.

Capacity matters more than usual. 128GB and 256GB models use a 5-core CPU (2 performance + 3 efficiency) with a 16-core Neural Engine. The 512GB model steps up to a 6-core CPU (2+4) and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine — double the Neural Engine cores — which Apple highlights for heavier on-device AI workloads in apps like Draw Things. Memory bandwidth is more than 2x the prior generation across the lineup.

iPadOS 27 brings Apple Intelligence and Siri AI (rolling out in beta). Features include personal-context answers, onscreen awareness, Image Playground, and photo tools such as Clean Up, Spatial Reframing, and Extend. Availability depends on language and region; Siri AI is not initially available in the EU on iPadOS, and some cloud features have daily usage limits.

Design: 5.4 mm, 255 g, IP67, Acoustic Display

The chassis is 195.3 × 132.6 × 5.4 mm. Wi-Fi models weigh 255 grams (0.56 lb); cellular models are 263 grams. That is down from about 293 grams on the prior generation. Finishes are Midnight and Starlight only.

IP67 is new for iPad mini: up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes in lab tests. Resistance can wear over time, and liquid damage is not covered by warranty. Sealing ties into the Acoustic Display audio system — woofers couple through the display for bass, and tweeters sit between glass and aluminum so there are no speaker grilles in the enclosure.

Cameras, Pencil, and wireless

The front camera moves to the landscape edge: a 12MP Center Stage sensor for video calls in landscape. The rear is a 12MP Wide with Adaptive True Tone flash, Smart HDR 4, and 4K video up to 60 fps. Dual mics handle calls and recording.

Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C) are supported, including Pencil hover. The N1 wireless chip brings Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Cellular models use Apple's C2 modem for 5G (sub-6) with eSIM only — no physical SIM tray. Apple says C2 can deliver up to 50 percent faster cellular data than the previous mini, depending on carrier and conditions.

Battery and charging

The battery is an 18.9-watt-hour pack. Apple rates up to 10 hours of Wi-Fi web surfing or video, and up to 9 hours on cellular data for cellular models. Fast charge can reach about 50 percent in around 30 minutes with a USB-C adapter rated 35W or higher (adapters sold separately; a 20W adapter is in the box).

How it compares to iPad Air and the old mini

Versus the previous iPad mini (A17 Pro), you get OLED, a larger 8.5-inch canvas in the same footprint class, A20 Pro, IP67, Wi-Fi 7, a landscape front camera, Acoustic Display audio, and a thinner/lighter body — at a $100 higher starting price ($699 vs $599).

Versus iPad Air (from $749), the mini wins on portability, OLED contrast, and IP67. Air wins on screen size (11 or 13 inch), M4 performance, and typically better value if you want a larger canvas for the money. The mini is the pocketable iPad; Air is the everyday laptop companion.

Should you buy it?

If you want the smallest full iPad with a modern OLED panel, water resistance, and current Apple Intelligence features, this is the clearest upgrade mini owners have had in years. Buy the 512GB model if on-device AI and the stronger CPU/Neural Engine matter; otherwise 256GB with or without nano-texture is the practical sweet spot for most people.

Skip it if you need 120Hz ProMotion, Face ID, or MagSafe accessories — none of those made it into this generation. For a larger OLED or more raw power in Apple's lineup this month, the touchscreen MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR is a different (and much more expensive) story.

Availability

The new iPad mini is available to buy now at apple.com, the Apple Store app, Apple Stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers in the markets where Apple opened pre-orders (36 countries and regions at announcement, including the US). HomeView and the updated Apple TV 4K are still scheduled for Friday, November 13.