Apple set a $699 U.S. starting price for its redesigned iPad mini on Oct. 26, $200 above the prior model’s 2024 launch price, as the tablet gains an OLED screen and refreshed hardware.
The new price is for the Wi-Fi model; a version with Wi-Fi + Cellular starts at $849. Apple introduced the previous iPad mini at $499 in 2024. Education pricing for the new tablet starts at $649 in the United States.
The OLED display measures 8.5 inches diagonally, up from 8.3 inches on the previous model. Apple says it expanded the viewing area without enlarging the outer shell, trimming bezel width by 24%. The screen can reach 1,200 nits of peak brightness for HDR content, and Apple lists a 2 million-to-1 contrast ratio. Nano-texture glass is offered with 256GB and 512GB configurations.
Apple gives the tablet an IP67 rating under IEC standard 60529. Its specifications define the rating as protection at a depth of up to one meter for no more than 30 minutes. Other additions include a landscape 12-megapixel Center Stage front camera and stereo audio through Apple’s Acoustic Display.
The A20 Pro chip has a five-core CPU and 16-core Neural Engine in the 128GB and 256GB models. In the 512GB version, the CPU has six cores and the Neural Engine is dual 16-core. The tablet supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread; cellular versions use Apple’s C2 modem.
In India, prices start at ₹82,900 for Wi-Fi and ₹100,900 for Wi-Fi + Cellular, with education pricing from ₹76,900. Dave Pakula, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering, called the tablet “a huge leap forward for users.”
U.S. pre-orders are scheduled to open at 1:10 p.m. ET (17:10 UTC) on Oct. 28; Apple lists the corresponding time as 10:10 a.m. PT. Availability begins Nov. 6, setting a confirmed date for a product included in EconoTimes’ earlier coverage of Apple’s fall device schedule.
