Apple announced a redesigned iPad mini on 26 October 2026, replacing the A17 Pro model from 2024. The new iPad mini price starts at $699 for 128GB with Wi-Fi and runs to $1,249 for a 512GB cellular model with nano-texture glass. Pre-orders open on 28 October and it reaches buyers on 6 November.
Every iPad Mini Configuration and What It Costs
Apple publishes twelve configurations. Apple’s US store listings give these prices, before sales tax:
| Storage | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi + Cellular |
|---|---|---|
| 128GB | $699 | $849 |
| 256GB | $799 | $949 |
| 256GB, nano-texture | $899 | $1,049 |
| 512GB | $999 | $1,149 |
| 512GB, nano-texture | $1,099 | $1,249 |
Cellular adds $150 at every tier. The nano-texture glass, an anti-glare finish that until now was reserved for the iPad Pro, adds $100 and is not offered on the 128GB model. Apple also lists an education price of $649 for the entry Wi-Fi model.
Accessories are priced separately: the Smart Folio is $79, the Apple Pencil Pro is $129, and the USB-C Apple Pencil is $79. A 20W charger is in the box, but the fast charging Apple advertises — 50 per cent in 30 minutes — needs a 35W adapter you buy yourself.
Why $699 Is $200 More Than the 2024 Model
The entry price has risen twice in four months. The A17 Pro iPad mini launched in 2024 at $499. On 25 June 2026 Apple raised it to $599, blaming a global memory chip shortage, and applied similar increases across Mac and iPad lines. The new model now starts $100 above that.
The older model has not been discontinued, and it remains listed at $599. Buyers choosing between them are therefore weighing a $100 gap between an A17 Pro tablet with an LCD and an A20 Pro tablet with OLED — not the $200 gap the 2024 launch price would suggest.
What Changed From the A17 Pro Model
| Specification | iPad mini (A20 Pro) | iPad mini (A17 Pro) |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 8.5-inch OLED Super Retina XDR | 8.3-inch LCD |
| Full-screen brightness | 600 nits | 500 nits |
| Peak HDR brightness | 1,200 nits | — |
| Thickness | 5.4mm | 6.3mm |
| Weight (Wi-Fi) | 0.56 lb | 0.65 lb |
| Water resistance | IP67 | None |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Entry price | $699 | $599 |
The footprint is unchanged; Apple gained the extra 0.2 inches of screen by cutting the bezels 24 per cent. Contrast is quoted at 2,000,000:1 with a 1-nit minimum brightness. The panel runs at 60Hz, so this is not a ProMotion display.
Two changes are more unusual. The IP67 rating is the first on any iPad mini, lab-tested to one metre for 30 minutes, and Apple warns the resistance degrades with wear. It is possible partly because the speakers no longer need holes: Apple’s “Acoustic Display” puts woofers behind the screen and hides tweeters between the glass and the aluminium shell. “Specially designed woofers are paired through the display to produce punchier bass and more volume,” Apple said.
The cameras are both 12 megapixels — a Center Stage front camera moved to the landscape edge, and a rear Wide camera with Smart HDR 4, 4K video at up to 60fps and an adaptive True Tone flash. Cellular models use Apple’s C2 modem, which Apple says is up to 50 per cent faster for data than the previous generation.
The Chip Is Not the Same in Every Model
All three storage tiers carry a chip called A20 Pro, built on a 2nm process, but they are not the same silicon. The 128GB and 256GB models have a 5-core CPU and a single 16-core Neural Engine. Only the 512GB model has the 6-core CPU and the dual 16-core Neural Engine.
That matters because of how Apple’s headline claims are worded. “Up to 60 per cent faster multithreaded CPU performance” is qualified in Apple’s own materials as “up to 6-core CPU”, and the doubled neural processing is footnoted to the 512GB configuration. Both describe a tablet that costs $999 with Wi-Fi, not the $699 one. Several outlets reported the chip as a flat 6-core part.
The GPU is a 7-core design across all tiers, with a Neural Accelerator in each core, so Apple’s “up to 2.7 times faster graphics” claim does apply to the entry model. Apple has not published the amount of memory in any configuration.
Prices Outside the United States
As of 27 October 2026, Apple has priced the tablet for launch in 36 countries and regions but has not published the full list. Two markets are confirmed on Apple’s own stores.
| Storage (Wi-Fi) | India | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 128GB | ₹82,900 | $699 |
| 256GB | ₹94,900 | $799 |
| 512GB | ₹118,900 | $999 |
Indian cellular models run from ₹100,900 to ₹136,900, and nano-texture glass adds ₹12,000 rather than the dollar equivalent of $100. The Indian figures are maximum retail prices inclusive of all taxes, while the US figures exclude sales tax, so the two columns are not directly comparable. Reporting puts UK pricing at £699 and £849, which matches the dollar figures digit for digit; that comes from secondary coverage rather than a page we have read on Apple’s UK store.
When You Can Buy It
- Wednesday 28 October 2026: pre-orders open at 10:10 a.m. Pacific Time in the United States, and at 10:40 p.m. India Standard Time.
- Friday 6 November 2026: deliveries begin and stock reaches Apple Stores in all 36 launch markets.
- Wednesday 28 October 2026: Apple also holds its “Pro and Tell” briefing the same day, where new Macs are expected. The iPad mini was announced ahead of it by press release.
Apple’s marketing chief has since signalled more hardware this week, so anyone weighing the mini against a Mac may want to wait two days before ordering. The full picture of what Apple has scheduled for 28 October was still unconfirmed at the time of the iPad mini announcement.
What Apple Has Not Said
Apple gave no battery-life figure beyond saying it matches the previous model, published no memory capacity, and did not name the 36 launch countries. It also has not said what happens to the A17 Pro model’s place in the line-up.
The software picture is incomplete in a way that affects buyers by region. The tablet ships with iPadOS 27, but the Siri AI features Apple promotes arrive in beta in iPadOS 27.2, which has no release date. Siri AI launches in English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish only, is unavailable to users under 13, and is not available in the European Union — the same regional pattern that kept Apple HomeView out of EU markets this month. Extended display mode for external monitors is also held back to 27.2.
Dave Pakula, Apple’s vice president of hardware engineering, framed the update around the existing audience in Apple’s announcement: “iPad mini is beloved for its fantastic portability, performance, and display.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the New iPad Mini Price?
It starts at $699 for 128GB with Wi-Fi. The most expensive configuration, 512GB with cellular and nano-texture glass, is $1,249. Education buyers pay $649 for the entry model.
When Does the New iPad Mini Go on Sale?
Pre-orders open on Wednesday 28 October 2026 and the tablet is available from Friday 6 November in 36 countries and regions.
Does the $699 iPad Mini Have the Full A20 Pro Chip?
No. The 128GB and 256GB models use a 5-core CPU with one 16-core Neural Engine. The 6-core CPU and dual Neural Engine are exclusive to the 512GB model, which starts at $999.
Is the iPad Mini Waterproof?
It is rated IP67, which Apple tested in a lab at one metre for up to 30 minutes. Apple says the resistance can decrease with normal wear and advises against charging it while wet.
Should I Wait for Apple’s 28 October Event?
Pre-orders open the same day as the briefing, so waiting costs nothing in queue position. Apple has not confirmed what it will announce there.
