iPad mini

Should You Buy the iPad mini?

If you want the smallest iPad Apple sells, this is the one to buy. The iPad mini (A17 Pro) is the only iPad in its size class and the only Apple Intelligence-capable iPad with a starting price under $500. Apple has shipped it for over a year, but it is still the current model. As Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, said at launch:

iPad mini appeals to a wide range of users.

That said, an OLED successor is reported for the second half of 2026, with bigger changes than this generation received. According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, the next iPad mini may be priced up to $100 higher than the current $499 entry point. If OLED, water resistance, or a newer chip matter to you, waiting makes sense.

Above the iPad mini, Apple sells the iPad Air with the M4 chip in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes starting at $599 and $799, plus the iPad Pro with the M5 chip and a tandem OLED display starting at $999. Below it, the entry-level iPad with the A16 chip starts at $349 but does not run Apple Intelligence. The iPad mini is the only model that combines a small footprint with a chip new enough for Apple Intelligence.

Design

The iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi model measures 7.69 inches (195.4 mm) tall, 5.3 inches (134.8 mm) wide, and 0.25 inch (6.3 mm) deep, and it weighs 0.65 pound (293 grams). The Wi-Fi + Cellular model has the same dimensions and weighs 0.66 pound (297 grams). Touch ID is integrated into the top button.

Apple sells the iPad mini in 4 finishes: Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Gray. Blue and Purple are new for this generation.

The enclosure uses 100 percent recycled aluminum. Apple also lists 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, 100 percent recycled tin in the solder of multiple printed circuit boards, 100 percent recycled gold in the plating of multiple boards and in the wire of all cameras, and 50 percent recycled plastic in multiple components.

Display

The iPad mini has an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display when measured diagonally as a rectangle, with a 2266-by-1488 resolution at 326 ppi. Actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners.

The panel is LED-backlit IPS with full lamination, an antireflective coating, and a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. It supports wide color (P3) and True Tone, and reaches 500 nits of brightness. Apple Pencil hover is supported on the panel for both Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C).

A17 Pro Chip

The iPad mini (A17 Pro) uses the A17 Pro chip with a 6-core CPU that has 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, plus a 5-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. According to MacRumors‘ analysis of the chip configuration, this is a binned variant of the A17 Pro that ships in iPhone 15 Pro models, which use a 6-core GPU.

At launch, Apple said the A17 Pro in the iPad mini is 30 percent faster on CPU and 25 percent faster on graphics than the A15 Bionic in the previous-generation iPad mini. The Neural Engine is described as up to 2x faster than the prior generation, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing is 4x faster than software-based ray tracing.

According to a Geekbench listing first surfaced by MacRumors, the iPad mini ships with 8GB of unified memory. That is the minimum Apple requires for Apple Intelligence support.

Camera

On the rear, the iPad mini has a 12MP Wide camera with an ƒ/1.8 aperture, a five-element lens, and a True Tone flash. It supports Smart HDR 4, panorama up to 63MP, autofocus with Focus Pixels, wide color capture, auto image stabilization, and digital zoom up to 5x.

Video recording goes up to 4K at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps, with 1080p HD at 25, 30, or 60 fps and slo-mo at 1080p 120 or 240 fps. Cinematic video stabilization works at 4K, 1080p, and 720p, and recording uses HEVC and H.264 formats.

The front camera is a 12MP Center Stage camera with an ƒ/2.4 aperture. It sits on the short edge of the iPad in portrait orientation. It supports Smart HDR 4 and 1080p HD video at 25, 30, or 60 fps.

Battery Life

The iPad mini (A17 Pro) has a 19.3-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery. Apple’s tested figures are up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video, and up to 9 hours of web browsing on cellular for Wi-Fi + Cellular models.

The box includes a 20W USB-C Power Adapter and a 1-meter USB-C charge cable. Charging is handled through the USB-C port, which Apple says is up to 2x faster than on the previous generation. The same port supports DisplayPort output and USB 3 data transfers up to 10Gb/s.

Apple Intelligence Updates

The iPad mini (A17 Pro) is the smallest iPad that runs Apple Intelligence. The first wave of features arrived through iPadOS 18.1 in October 2024, and Apple notes the system requires either A17 Pro or M1 and later silicon. Apple Intelligence remains in beta with rolling feature additions.

The iPad mini (A17 Pro) also supports the current iPadOS 26 release, which Apple shipped to compatible iPads in September 2025. Apple’s iPadOS 26 compatibility list covers iPad mini (A17 Pro) and iPad mini (5th generation) and later, so the iPad mini line continues to receive the latest iPadOS even though only the A17 Pro model runs Apple Intelligence.

Smaller Changes

A handful of supporting upgrades and shipping details are worth noting:

• Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 on all models, with Apple stating that Wi-Fi 6E is up to twice as fast as on the previous generation; Wi-Fi 6E is available where regulations allow.
• 5G sub-6 GHz on Wi-Fi + Cellular models, plus Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO. There is no mmWave 5G.
• eSIM only on Cellular models, with no physical SIM tray and connectivity in over 190 countries and regions.
• USB-C port with up to 10Gb/s data transfer, DisplayPort output, and charging.
• Apple Pencil Pro ($129, or $119 with education pricing) and Apple Pencil (USB-C) ($79, or $69 education) compatibility, with Apple Pencil Pro pairing, charging, and storing through a magnetic interface on the side.
• Smart Folio for iPad mini at $59 in charcoal gray, light violet, denim, and sage.
• Landscape stereo speakers, dual microphones, Spatial Audio playback, and Dolby Atmos.
• Touch ID built into the top button, with no Face ID on this iPad.
• Sensors include Touch ID, a three-axis gyro, an accelerometer, a barometer, and an ambient light sensor.
• Self Service Repair coverage was extended to the iPad mini (A17 Pro) in May 2025, with parts and manuals available for displays, batteries, cameras, and external charging ports.
• Box contents are the iPad mini, a 1-meter USB-C Charge Cable, and a 20W USB-C Power Adapter.
• More than 25 percent recycled material content overall, 100 percent fiber-based packaging that is 39 percent recycled, ENERGY STAR certified, and free of mercury, brominated flame retardants, and PVC.
• Accessibility features include VoiceOver, Zoom, Magnifier, Spoken Content, Voice Control, Switch Control, AssistiveTouch, Type to Siri, Real-Time Text, Live Captions, and Audio Descriptions.

What’s Next for iPad mini

According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple is testing OLED versions of the iPad mini, iPad Air, and MacBook Air, with the iPad mini lined up to switch first. Bloomberg describes the OLED technology in development as offering richer colors and deeper contrast than current LCD displays.

A December 2024 report from Display Supply Chain Consultants, led by analyst Ross Young, expects an 8.5-inch OLED iPad mini to launch in 2026, with 11-inch and 13-inch OLED iPad Air models following in 2027. An Omdia display roadmap, with which DSCC’s Ross Young publicly agreed, points to a slightly different 8.4-inch hybrid OLED panel built on a single RGB layer using LTPS TFT, distinct from the dual-stack tandem OLED used in the current iPad Pro. Both forecasts agree on a 2026 launch and on a panel size that is larger than the current 8.3 inches.

Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman has also reported that the next iPad mini could be the first iPad with an IP water-resistance rating. The redesign reportedly replaces conventional speaker holes with a vibration-based speaker system that pushes sound through the chassis, removing one of the main paths for water to enter the tablet.

Code references first surfaced by MacRumors and reported by AppleInsider in August 2025 tied a next-generation iPad mini under the codenames J510 and J511 to the A19 Pro, the chip that debuted in the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro. Chinese leaker Kang then claimed in December 2025 that Apple may instead use the A20 Pro, the same processor expected in the iPhone 18 Pro models. The two reports contradict each other. The August 2025 reference came from Apple’s own (mistakenly shared) code, while the December 2025 claim is single-sourced.

According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, the next iPad mini could be priced up to $100 higher than the current $499 starting price, given the OLED panel and structural changes. As reported by Macworld citing Gurman, Apple is expected to launch the new iPad mini before the end of 2026, with mass production of OLED panels (reportedly from Samsung Display) starting in mid-2026.

iPad mini Timeline

April 15, 2026 — MacRumors publishes a consolidated outlook on the OLED iPad mini, citing Bloomberg, DSCC, and Apple’s own code references.

December 16, 2025 — AppleInsider reports leaker Kang’s claim that the next iPad mini will use the A20 Pro chip rather than the A19 Pro identified in earlier code references.

October 28, 2025 — Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reports on plans for OLED versions of the iPad mini, iPad Air, and MacBook Air, plus water resistance and a vibration-based speaker system for the next iPad mini.

September 2025 — Apple releases iPadOS 26 to compatible iPads, including iPad mini (A17 Pro).

August 14, 2025 — AppleInsider reports code references identifying the next iPad mini under codenames J510 and J511 with the A19 Pro chip.

May 2025 — Apple adds the iPad mini (A17 Pro) to its Self Service Repair program, alongside iPad Air (M2 and later), iPad Pro (M4), and iPad (A16).

December 16, 2024 — AppleInsider reports a DSCC forecast for an 8.5-inch OLED iPad mini in 2026 and OLED iPad Air models in 2027.

December 5, 2024 — AppleInsider covers an Omdia display roadmap pointing to an 8.4-inch hybrid OLED iPad mini in 2026, with Ross Young publicly agreeing with the schedule.

October 23, 2024 — Apple ships the iPad mini (A17 Pro) to customers worldwide.

October 18, 2024 — MacRumors reports a Geekbench listing for the iPad mini (A17 Pro) showing 8GB of memory, the amount needed for Apple Intelligence.

October 15, 2024 — Apple announces the iPad mini (A17 Pro) with the A17 Pro chip, Apple Pencil Pro support, and a 128GB starting capacity.

September 14, 2021 — Apple launches the prior-generation iPad mini (6th generation) with the A15 Bionic chip.

Changelog

May 3, 2026 — Initial publication.

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