Apple’s next iPad mini is shaping up to be the most significant revision the small tablet has seen since its return in 2021. The iPad mini 8 is expected to arrive in late October 2026 with an OLED display, an A20 Pro chip, a relocated camera, the first IP-rated water resistance in the lineup’s history, and a redesigned speaker system that ditches the traditional grille holes entirely.
Samsung Display began mass production of the OLED panels in June 2026, which makes the October window credible rather than speculative. The price is the uncomfortable part. The current model already jumped from $499 to $599 in June 2026, and the OLED version is now expected to land near $799.
Apple is reportedly planning a Mac and iPad launch around October 27, with some media invited to an all-day launch experience in Los Angeles on October 28. Apple has not announced the date or confirmed any of the products.
iPad mini gets an OLED panel, but stuck at 60Hz
The display is the headline upgrade and also the most controversial spec. The iPad mini 8 is reportedly using a LTPS hybrid OLED panel measuring 8.4 inches, clocked at a fixed 60Hz.
LTPS panels use a single fixed refresh rate, which means no ProMotion, and they tend to be dimmer than the LTPO panels used in the iPad Pro, which support dynamic refresh rates between 10Hz and 120Hz. Apple used the same LTPS approach when it first brought OLED to the iPhone line, so this is a known cost-reduction trade-off, not a surprise.
A separate rumor has suggested the screen size could grow to 8.7 inches, though the 8.4-inch figure from more recent leaks appears to be the more reliable number. Either way, it is a step up from the current 8.3-inch Liquid Retina LCD, and OLED’s contrast and black levels alone will be a visible improvement for most users.
The A20 Pro chip and a relocated camera lead the hardware changes
Earlier reports split between the A19 Pro and the A20 Pro, but the latest reporting points to the A20 Pro. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman expects that chip in the OLED model, which would be a big step up from the A17 Pro in the current 2024 iPad mini.
The same reporting expects a relocated front camera, which matches an earlier leak that put a videoconferencing camera on the landscape side of the tablet, the edge that sits on top when the iPad mini is used sideways.
No more speaker holes, and the first IP rating for iPad mini
Two design changes stand out beyond the display. Apple is reportedly engineering a vibration-based speaker system that eliminates traditional speaker holes entirely, a construction approach that requires significant internal redesign and should also improve water resistance by removing one of the more obvious entry points for liquid.
The iPad mini 8 is also said to carry Apple’s first official IP water resistance rating for the mini line, and it would be the first iPad with water resistance. The current iPad mini has no IP certification at all, so even a modest IPX4 splash rating would be a meaningful durability upgrade for a device many people use in kitchens, bathrooms, and bags without cases.
Pricing is expected to land near $799, up from $599
The current iPad mini starts at $599 following the June 2026 price increase, which was driven by a global memory shortage rather than any hardware change. Gurman’s early estimate for the OLED model is $799, which would be $200 more than today’s price and an increase of about a third.
An earlier report pointed to $699, so his guess sits $100 higher. He did not say whether the display, the chip or both are behind the jump, and Apple has not announced pricing.
What else is coming in Apple’s tablet lineup
The iPad mini 8 appears to be the first piece of a longer refresh cycle across Apple’s tablet range. The new entry-level iPad (code-named J581) is targeted for early 2027 with a faster processor but no major redesign.
The iPad Air, expected in 11-inch and 13-inch configurations in spring 2027, is where OLED reportedly spreads next in the lineup after the mini. Apple is staggering these releases across roughly 18 months, which means the mini is getting OLED first because its compact size made it a viable second target after the iPad Pro.
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