2026 iPad mini review: Maximizing the mini

Key Points:

• The 2026 iPad mini features a larger 8.5-inch OLED display with reduced bezels, delivering improved brightness, HDR support, and a more immersive viewing experience compared to its 2024 predecessor’s 8.3-inch IPS screen.
• Powered by the latest A20 Pro chip, the new mini offers up to 60% faster performance and enhanced graphics capabilities, making it suitable for light photo and video editing, multitasking, and AI applications.
• The tablet boasts significantly improved speakers with dual woofers and tweeters, an IP67 dust and water resistance rating, and upgrades like Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and a new C2 cellular modem.
• Despite these enhancements, the iPad mini retains a 60 Hz refresh rate, lower than the 120 Hz available on iPad Pro models, and its $699 starting price is only $50 less than the larger, more powerful iPad Air, challenging its value proposition.
• Overall, the 2026 iPad mini is a more modern and capable ultraportable tablet ideal for content consumption and portability, though it remains a niche product compared to other iPads better suited for demanding tasks.