iPad mini 8 vs iPad mini 7: What's new, and is it worth buying?

(Image credit: Apple / Tom's Guide) Apple just surprised everyone with the news of the iPad mini 8, announced two days ahead of the company's Pro and Tell event.The iPad mini 8 marks the biggest redesign in years, although some key specs stay the same. One thing has changed: The price, and not for the better.What's new compared to the iPad mini 7, and is now the right time to upgrade? We'll dig into the specs and compare the iPad mini 8 to our own review of the previous generation.iPad mini 8 vs. iPad mini 7: Specs Swipe to scroll horizontally Header Cell - Column 0 iPad mini (A20 Pro) iPad mini (A17 Pro) Price From $699 (Wi-Fi), $849 (Cellular) From $599 (Wi-Fi), $749 (Cellular) Display 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR (OLED), 2316 x 1512, no ProMotion 8.3-inch Liquid Retina (LCD), 2266 x 1488, 60Hz Brightness 600 nits SDR, 1,200 nits peak HDR (rated) 493 nits (tested) Colors Midnight, Starlight Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Gray Chip A20 Pro (5- or 6-core CPU, 7-core GPU) A17 Pro (6-core CPU, 5-core GPU) RAM Not listed 8GB Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB Cameras 12MP rear, 12MP front (landscape) 12MP rear, 12MP front (portrait) Wireless Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, 5G (Cellular models) Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G (Cellular models) Water resistance IP67 None Battery life Up to 10 hours 10 hours 36 minutes (tested) Size 7.69 x 5.22 x 0.21 inches 7.69 x 5.3 x 0.25 inches Weight (Wi-Fi) 0.56 pounds 0.65 pounds iPad mini 8 vs. iPad mini 7: Price and availability (Image credit: Apple)Apple's iPad mini 8 was announced on October 26, 2026, with pre-orders opening on October 28 at 10:10 a.m. PT. The tablet ships starting on Friday, November 6.Pricing for the iPad mini 8 starts at $699 for the 128GB Wi-Fi model, or $849 for the Wi-Fi + cellular model. Students and educators can score a discount, bringing the price down to $649 and up.Swapping to nano-texture glass adds an extra $100, but the option is only available on the 256GB and 512GB models. Those higher-capacity iPads start at $799 and $999, respectively, and that's without the nano-texture glass.This is a big price hike compared with the iPad mini 7's launch price: $499. Apple recently raised the price to $599 in June, along with the rest of its lineup. This new model adds another $100 on top in its cheapest configuration.Sign up to the Tom's iGuide weekly newsletter with coverage on everything from product launches to software updates, this is your go-to source for the latest updates on all the best Apple content.With this gen-to-gen price increase, the mini is just $50 below the 11-inch iPad Air.iPad mini 8 vs. iPad mini 7: Design (Image credit: Apple / Tom's Guide)The new iPad mini looks familiar at a glance, but it should be noticeably slimmer. It measures 5.4mm thick compared to the iPad mini 7's 6.3mm. The Wi-Fi model weighs 0.56 pounds (255g) vs. 0.65 pounds (293g) on the iPad mini 7. In Apple's own words, it's the lightest iPad ever made.The footprint barely changes, with the two iPads nearly identical in dimensions (7.69 x 5.22 x 0.21 inches vs. 7.69 x 5.3 x 0.25 inches for the iPad mini 8 and 7, respectively). That doesn't mean there are no hardware changes within, though. Apple still managed to fit a larger 8.5-inch screen by cutting the bezels by 24%, so you get more display in a tablet that's essentially the same size.The bigger change is durability. Apple added IP67 water resistance, with the company claiming the tablet survived lab testing at a maximum depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. It's the first water-resistant iPad, which is handy for travel and for use in the kitchen, for instance.Color-wise, we're seeing a downgrade. The iPad mini 8 comes in midnight and starlight, while the iPad mini 7 offered four colors. There's still no Face ID.iPad mini 8 vs. iPad mini 7: Display (Image credit: Apple / Tom's Guide)The display is the headline upgrade for the iPad mini 8, because Apple is finally bringing OLED to this line of iPads. It swaps the old 8.3-inch LCD for an 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR panel, increasing the resolution from 2266 x 1488 to 2316 x 1512, so pixel density stays at 326 ppi on the bigger screen.Apple rates the contrast at 2,000,000:1, so expect bright, vivid colors and deep blacks. The iPad mini 8 could make a huge difference when you're watching movies or playing games.The display is also significantly brighter. Apple rates the new mini at 600 nits for regular content, up from 500 nits on the mini 7 (we measured 493 nits in our review). HDR content peaks at double that, hitting 1,200 nits, and the screen can dim down to 1 nit, which makes reading in bed a lot less hard on your eyes.There's also the new nano-texture option to cut glare, but as mentioned before, it'll cost extra across every model (except the 128GB, which doesn't have it). It's the same matte glass Apple offers on the iPad Pro.One upgrade that's still missing from the mini is ProMotion. Apple hasn't listed it on the spec sheet, so we presume the iPad mini 8 will stay locked at 60Hz.iPad mini 8 vs. iPad mini 7: Performance (Image credit: Apple / Tom's Guide)The iPad mini 8 runs on Apple's A20 Pro chip, the same 2nm chip as the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The iPad mini 7 uses the A17 Pro, built on a 3nm process and first found in the iPhone 15 Pro. That's a big generational jump between the two chips.We won't know the actual performance figures until the new mini lands in our reviewers' hands, but we know Apple's claims for now, and they're big.Apple promises up to 60% faster CPU performance and up to 2.7x faster graphics. AI performance gets a huge boost of up to 4.5x. Apple also says that memory bandwidth will more than double.Not every iPad mini gets the same chip, though. The 128GB and 256GB models have a five-core CPU and a single 16-core Neural Engine. The priciest 512GB model gets the full power of the A20 Pro chip, with a six-core CPU and Apple's dual 16-core Neural Engine.The fine print says Apple's 60% CPU figure comes from testing the six-core version. We can't imagine this will make or break the performance of the cheaper model, though.Every iPad mini 8 gets the same seven-core GPU, up from five cores on the mini 7, with Neural Accelerators built into each core.iPad mini 8 vs. iPad mini 7: Battery life (Image credit: Tom's Guide)There are no shake-ups in battery life between the iPad mini 8 and the mini 7. Apple rates both at up to 10 hours.It appears that Apple chose to spend the 2nm efficiency gains on the brighter OLED panel. While battery life seems to have stayed the same, it's good news that it hasn't dropped with the other upgrades and the thinner chassis.Apple says the mini 8 can reach 50% in about 30 minutes, but only with a 35W or higher charger, which is sold separately. Of course, our lab tests will reveal how long the new iPad mini can endure.iPad mini 8 vs. iPad mini 7: Audio and cameras (Image credit: Apple)The iPad mini 8 uses what Apple calls an Acoustic Display: woofers that play through the screen for punchier bass and more volume, plus tweeters tucked between the glass and the aluminum frame. Apple got rid of speaker holes, and that must've played a part in the IP67 rating, since we're looking at a more sealed design.The camera upgrades seem subtle at a glance, but they're not insignificant. The front camera has finally moved to the landscape edge, which fixes our biggest complaint from our iPad mini 7 review. With that said, it's still a 12MP Center Stage camera, but with a wider f/2.0 aperture (up from f/2.4). That could help in dim rooms.The 12MP rear camera shoots 4K video at 60 fps as before. It also adds an Adaptive True Tone flash, which Apple says should improve document scanning.iPad mini 8 vs. iPad mini 7: Connectivity (Image credit: Tom's Guide)The iPad mini 8 uses Apple's own N1 wireless chip. That brings you Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support. That's an upgrade over the mini 7, which offered Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.Apple says N1 boosts performance on 5GHz networks and makes AirDrop and AirPlay more reliable. To make the most of Wi-Fi 7, you'll need a Wi-Fi 7 router, but it still offers solid future-proofing.Cellular models switch to Apple's C2 modem, which Apple says delivers up to 50% faster data speeds than the mini 7 while using less battery life. Both iPad minis are eSIM-only.iPad mini 8 vs. iPad mini 7: Software and Siri AI (Image credit: Future)Both the iPad mini 8 and mini 7 run iPadOS 27 with Apple Intelligence and Siri AI. Siri AI is Apple's rebuilt assistant, which leans heavily on your personal context and understands what's on screen.The difference is that only the newest iPad mini supports Apple's most advanced on-device model, which brings more expressive Siri voices and more accurate dictation. Siri AI recently got a sizeable upgrade that makes it more useful than ever, so this is good news for the new iPad.iPad mini 8 vs. iPad mini 7: Is it time to upgrade? (Image credit: Tom's Guide)Apple's iPad mini 8 brings a host of interesting upgrades, such as an OLED display, promised performance upgrades, and even water resistance. There's a lot to get excited about.However, the iPad mini 7 is no slouch. When it first launched, we dubbed it the best iPad mini ever. If you're still using the iPad mini 7 and you're happy with its performance, you may not need to rush to upgrade unless the new OLED display really speaks to you. The steeper asking price could also be discouraging, unless you're using a much older iPad mini model.With the iPad mini 8 launching on November 6, it won't be long until we can truly pit it against its predecessor to see if the upgrades make a significant difference. Expect a review from us soon, so stay tuned! Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. More from Tom's GuideApple iPhone Duo 2 with Face ID is reportedly being tested even before the first foldable hits shelvesI put the iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 through a 10-round photo face-off — and there's a clear winner'Polished but rough': The common flaws in the iPhone Duo found by nine different reviewers