# The OLED iPad mini is the biggest update in its history — and the base model has a catch

> OLED, IP67 water resistance and an A20 Pro chip make it a real upgrade. But the price is up $100, there's no 120Hz, and the best chip is locked to the 512GB model.

Published Oct 29, 2026 by TechMeasured Staff · Gadgets · Canonical: https://techmeasured.com/gadgets/ipad-mini-oled-a20-pro-should-you-upgrade

The iPad mini has spent most of its life as the iPad Apple forgets to update. Not this time. The new model, available to pre-order now and shipping **November 6**, changes almost everything — except one thing a lot of buyers wanted.

## What's new

- **8.5-inch OLED display** (up from 8.3 inches LCD, thanks to 24% thinner bezels): 1,200 nits peak, 600 nits full-screen, down to 1 nit for night reading. Nano-texture glass is optional.
- **IP67 water and dust resistance** — the first water-resistant iPad, rated for 1 metre for 30 minutes.
- **A20 Pro** on a 2nm process, with Neural Accelerators in each GPU core. Apple claims up to 4.5x the AI performance, 2.7x the graphics and up to 60% faster multithreaded CPU versus the previous mini.
- **Thinner and lighter**: 5.4mm, about 14% thinner and 13% lighter.
- **"Acoustic Display" speakers** that vibrate the screen itself, with tweeters between the glass and the aluminium case.
- **Landscape front camera** (12MP Center Stage) for video calls held sideways; 12MP rear camera shooting 4K60.
- **N1 wireless chip** (Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread); cellular models use Apple's C2 modem.

## The catches

**1. It costs more.** The mini now starts at **$699** (Wi-Fi) and **$849** (cellular) — $100 more than before, after the second price increase this year. Fully configured, it reaches about $1,249.

**2. Still no ProMotion.** The OLED panel runs at 60Hz. On a device this good for reading and browsing, the lack of 120Hz scrolling will be the most common complaint.

**3. The best chip is reserved for 512GB.** The 128GB and 256GB models get a **five-core CPU**. Only the 512GB model gets the **six-core CPU** and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. If on-device AI performance matters to you, the cheapest way to get the full chip is the most expensive storage tier.

**4. Fast charging needs a separate 35W adapter.** It isn't in the box.

**5. Siri AI isn't available in the EU** at launch (beta from iPadOS 27.2 elsewhere).

## Should you upgrade?

| Your situation | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Using an iPad mini 5 or older | **Yes.** Everything is better, and water resistance is genuinely new |
| Using the previous (A17 Pro) mini | **Only if** you read in bed a lot (OLED blacks + 1-nit floor) or want IP67 |
| Want the mini for gaming or local AI | Consider the **512GB** model for the six-core chip |
| Price-sensitive | Look for discounted previous-gen stock — it's still a capable tablet |

Apple's performance figures are its own claims; independent benchmarks will follow once units ship on November 6. We'll update this piece with test results.


## Sources

1. [The Next Web — Apple's new iPad mini gets OLED, an A20 Pro chip and water resistance](https://thenextweb.com/news/apple-oled-ipad-mini-a20-pro-ip67)
2. [MacRumors — Here's everything Apple announced this week](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/10/28/apple-announcements-october-2026/)
3. [HotHardware — Apple overhauls iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro](https://hothardware.com/news/apple-overhauls-ipad-mini-oled-display-a20-pro)