The next generation of MacBooks may well be the big story expected this week from Apple, but there’s news of what’s to come from the company before it happens, as well.
Specifically, it’s a new iPad, and it’s one that sports some changes reviewers like this one have been hoping for over the space of the iPad’s life: water resistance.
Yes, an IP rating is one of the additions Apple is making to the iPad line-up this year, as the iPad Mini is upgraded to support a dust- and water-resistant rating of IP67, making it more like the iPhone, which carries a similar rating as well.
Dust and water resistance is just one part of the changes to the 2026 iPad Mini, which also sees a marginally slimmer design, dropping from a 6.3mm thickness on its predecessor by almost one whole millimetre to 5.4mm, keeping the casing made from aluminium, but upgrading other bits and bobs.
The screen is now a little bit larger, moving from 8.3 inches to 8.5, and it will now sport OLED technology, making it more like like the phones, and potentially those upcoming MacBook models which may include OLED, as well. That should bode well for brightness and contrast, and make the display that much nicer overall, but there are also other changes, too.
Apple is also upgrading the hardware inside, using the Apple A20 Pro chip straight out of the iPhone 18 range, including the 18 Pro. That’s a super fast chip with AI onboard, using a seven-core GPU with neural accelerators in each core, while the 512GB ,model will get a dual 16-core neural engine, similar to the phones.
And there are changes to the processing, too, supporting Apple’s N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, while cellular models get the Apple C2 5G modem. Handy.
But while aspects of the 2026 iPad Mini are definitely an upgrade, it’s an upgrade found in an era where AI is pushing the price of everything higher. Including the iPad Mini. So much that in 2026, the iPad Mini starts $300 higher than it did back in 2024.
Back then, you could pick up an iPad Mini from $799, while the 2026 model two years later will start from $1099. The configuration options are the same — 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB — but the prices are markedly higher.
However, one other aspect has changed: the new model is also lighter, dropping a good 30 to 40 grams dependent on the model, while relieving your bank account of a little more, as well. It’s a more costly iPad sadly, albeit one that gets a lot better technically.
While you probably won’t be able to flex that hardware just yet, the A20 chip does suggest longevity for the tablet, given just how ready it is for apps, games, and an eventual future with more AI in it.
Australians can expect to find this year’s iPad Mini in stores from November 6, priced from $1099 for the WiFi-only model or from $1349 for the WiFi and cellular edition.
