Apples new iPad Mini has a bigger display, a newer chip, and a higher price

Apple's newest iPad Mini debuted on Monday.The company started the week with a press release announcing the new eighth-generation iPad Mini. The device features several noteworthy upgrades over the previous model, released in 2024, including a larger display, a relocated front camera, a more powerful chip, and more. iPad Mini 2026 price and release datePre-orders for the new iPad Mini start on Wednesday, with general availability starting on Nov. 6. The new iPad starts at $699 in the United States, which is the only real bummer about this whole deal, as that's a $200 jump from the original starting price of the last iPad Mini. Blame RAMageddon. It comes in two colors, as well: Midnight and Starlight. Mashable Light Speed iPad Mini 2026 specs As for what you actually get for $699, here are the base specs for the new iPad Mini:Processor: A20 ProDisplay: 8.5-inch OLED displayStorage: 128/256/512GBCameras: 12MP wide and front camerasBattery: Rated for up to 10 hoursWater and dust resistance: IP67There's a lot that's new here. The display is two-tenths of an inch bigger than before, and as a fun bonus, it is an OLED panel now instead of LCD. The A20 Pro chip will also be a big step up over the A17 Pro chip that graced the last iPad Mini, fully unlocking all of the Apple Intelligence features you could want, including Siri AI.One note about the processor, though: The 512GB variant has an A20 Pro chip with more GPU cores than the 128/256GB variants. It's unclear how or if this will impact everyday use just yet. IP67 water and dust resistance is also new, giving it a degree of protection against the elements that you didn't get with previous iPad Mini models. Naturally, Apple Pencil support is still built in, so if you're a stylus user, you should be all good here. Other odds and ends include a new landscape edge placement for the front camera, an audio system that eliminates the standard speaker grilles, and support for WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 6.Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.