The OLED iPad Mini finally drops next week – but the price looks painful
Apple looks almost certain to announce a new iPad Mini, alongside new MacBooks, at a launch event next week.
Hot on the heels of its smart home-themed “Welcome Home” event, at which the odd-looking HomeView was announced, Apple has sent out invites to another launch event to be held on 28 October.
It seems this event is going to be smaller in scale than previous ones, with only a select few privileged journalists invited along to get some hands-on time with the products. YouTube behemoth Marques Brownlee is among them, of course.
The theme of this second October event is “Pro and tell” (we love a good Apple pun) – likely a reference to the new MacBook Pro that’s been heavily tipped. Rumour suggests that this new MacBook Pro will feature a new design and an OLED touchscreen.
Don’t be surprised to see a new iMac launched either, alongside a cheaper MacBook Pro option. But here at Tech Advisor, it’s the tablet that we care about the most. And it should be a banger.
The best small tablet gets even better
Apple is expected to use this event to announce a brand new iPad Mini. This product, too, is widely tipped to introduce an OLED display.
We haven’t seen a new iPad Mini model for two years, and we maintain that the 2024 model is still the “best small tablet” on the market. That’s why we’re excited to see what comes next.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Besides that new, more vibrant display, the late-2026 iPad Mini is tipped to run on the same Apple A20 Pro that powers the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo.
We’re also expecting Apple to reposition the front camera so that it sits on one of the longer edges – a far more natural position for FaceTime calls. The speaker system should also receive some love, making it a portable media powerhouse.
One note of caution is that the new iPad Mini could be quite a bit pricier than its predecessor.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, widely considered the world’s top Apple insider and journalist, guesses that it’ll start at “closer to $799”, which would be a full $200 more than the 2024 model. UK pricing is likely to follow suit, meaning you could end up paying at least £799.
If that materialises, the compact size becomes the only reason to buy it over one of Apple’s more capable tablets.
