Apple has today released its eighth-generation iPad mini, featuring an upgraded OLED display, thinner bezels and the latest A20 Pro chip which made its debut in the iPhone 18 Pro last month. Here's whats new:
Hardware Overview
Colours & Design
The new iPad mini is available in just two colours, Midnight and Starlight. This is a change from the previous generation, which was available in four colours including Blue, Purple, Starlight and Space Grey.
Design wise, it looks almost identical to the 2024 model, but some changes have been made. The engraved text on the back of the iPad mini, which says the model name, serial number and other hardware identifiers have been removed, following all other iPad models which have had this text removed over the previous year.
It is also thinner, thanks to the new OLED panel.
Display
The front also looks different, with thinner bezels (finally). This has slightly increased the display size, whilst keeping the device itself the same size that you can hold in one hand.
The larger bezels of the previous generation were beginning to look dated following the launch of the iPhone Duo.
The big improvement however, is only noticeable when you turn the device on. Apple has upgraded the LCD display to OLED, proving better colours and deeper blacks which will vastly improve the viewing experience, especially if you use the iPad mini and a media consumption machine.
Unfortunately, the device remains at a 60Hz refresh rate. This means it may still not feel as smooth when scrolling. This is the biggest disappointment of todays iPad release, as a 120Hz ProMotion screen would have vastly improved the experience of using an iPad mini, and most modern iPhones today use ProMotion technology.
Chip & AI Features
Another Pro-level feature coming to the new iPad mini in the A20 Pro chip.
This is Apple's highest-end A-series chip and is three-generation jump up from A17 Pro. Whilst the A17 Pro iPad mini did support Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, the newer chip brings expressive Siri voices and more powerful on-device models, which should also be faster at processing requests.
Pricing and Availability
iPad mini has seen its second price rise this year, now starting from £699/$699.
At the start of this year, the iPad mini started from £499, but was increased to £599 in June 2026. This makes the new model £200 more expensive than the previous launch price, and increases the barrier to entry for iPad mini by £100.
Students can get an iPad mini for £649. Trade in for the previous A17 Pro base model is around £250.
Whilst disappointing, some of this price increase has been offset by the newer OLED display and A20 Pro chip.
iPad mini is available to pre-order from 5:10pm GMT on Wednesday, 28th October, and will be released to customers on Friday, 6th November..
A welcome upgrade, at a not-so-welcome price
As a vivid iPad mini fan, I was looking forward to the new iPad mini. My biggest gripe with the previous generation was the mediocre display, which was not great for watching content.
This makes the newer model an appealing upgrade, as someone who uses the iPad mini 99% of the time to watch content.
However, the price increase is slightly annoying. £699 feels a bit steep for an iPad mini, and it is sadly lacking a 120Hz ProMotion display.
