Apple launches new iPad mini with OLED screen and slimmer chassis

The updated iPad mini is 5.4 mm thick, weighs 255 g, and adds an 8.5‑inch OLED panel.

By Felo News Desk · Published Mon, 26 Oct 2026 15:32:28 GMT

Apple introduced an updated iPad mini on 26 October 2026, describing it as the "biggest update ever" for the product line.

What happened

The device measures 5.4 mm in depth, compared with 6.3 mm on the prior generation, and its width is 132.6 mm versus 134.8 mm. It weighs 255 g for Wi‑Fi models, down from 293 g. Bezels are reduced by roughly 24 %, allowing an 8.5‑inch OLED display to replace the earlier 8.3‑inch LCD panel. Apple also added a landscape‑oriented front‑facing Center Stage camera, IP67 water‑ and dust‑resistance, and two colour finishes – Midnight and Starlight.

What the reports add

The OLED panel can reach a peak brightness of up to 1,200 nits, double the previous 600‑nit maximum, with standard SDR/HDR brightness of 600 nits and a 1‑nit minimum for dim environments.
Apple offers an optional nano‑texture glass on the 256 GB model and higher.
Performance details: the 128 GB and 256 GB configurations use a binned A20 Pro chip with a 5‑core CPU (2 performance, 3 efficiency cores), a 7‑core GPU, a single 16‑core Neural Engine and Neural Accelerators in each GPU core. The 512 GB configuration upgrades to a full‑spec A20 Pro with a 6‑core CPU (2 performance, 4 efficiency cores), the same 7‑core GPU, hardware‑accelerated ray tracing, and a dual 16‑core Neural Engine.
The chip is built on Apple’s 2‑nanometer process and includes hardware‑accelerated mesh shading, ray tracing and a 2× increase in unified memory bandwidth.
Audio: the new iPad mini adds an "Acoustic Display" speaker system for enhanced sound.
Connectivity: faster wireless and cellular radios, and support for fast‑charge.
Pricing and availability: pre‑orders start on 28 October, with shipments beginning 6 November. The 128 GB model starts at $699.

What was said

Apple’s press release reads: "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."

Apple said the OLED display enables "pixel‑level lighting control for much deeper blacks and support for the P3 wide color gamut for more vivid and accurate imagery."

How it came about

The launch follows Apple’s earlier announcement on 9 October that it would unveil an OLED iPad mini alongside touchscreen MacBook Pros on 27 October. The expectation was set in Felo’s coverage of that event (Apple expected to launch touchscreen MacBook Pro and OLED iPad mini on Oct. 27).

Key facts

The new iPad mini is 5.4 mm thick, 24 % thinner bezels, and weighs 255 g. (9to5mac.com)
It features an 8.5‑inch OLED display with up to 1200 nits brightness. (9to5mac.com)
The device is powered by the A20 Pro chip, with different CPU/GPU configurations for 128/256 GB and 512 GB models. (9to5mac.com)
Front camera is positioned on the landscape side and the iPad mini gains IP67 rating. (9to5mac.com)
Available colours are Midnight and Starlight. (9to5mac.com)