iPad Mini A20 Pro (2026) vs iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024): All expected differences
The last iPad mini was released in 2024, nearly two years ago | Image by PhoneArena
Two years after the release of the last iPad mini, Apple is ready to show the new iPad mini very soon, and it's expected to be a big upgrade but also come at a noticeably higher price.
The one upgrade we've all been waiting for is the upgrade to an OLED screen. A recent Bloomberg report also claims the new iPad mini will get the latest cutting-edge 2nm A20 Pro chipset, same as in the iPhone 18 Pro series. All of this might result in a much better compact tablet.
We will know all the official details very soon: Apple is expected to officially unveil the new iPad Mini on October 27th, 2026, but until then, below, you can find all the latest leaks and rumors.
iPad Mini A20 Pro (2026) vs iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) all expected differences:
| iPad Mini A20 Pro (2026) | iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024) |
|---|---|
| New A20 Pro chip (2nm, same as on iPhone 18 Pro) | A17 Pro chipset (same as in iPhone 15 Pro) |
| 8-inch OLED screen, finally | 8-inch LCD display |
| 60Hz refresh rate | 60Hz refresh rate |
| Upgraded speakers | One speaker on each side when held horizontally |
| FaceTime camera now on landscape side | FaceTime camera on portrait side |
| Possibly 256GB storage in base model | 128GB storage in base model |
| Possibly $800 starting price | $600 starting price |
Design and Display
[SUBHEADING]
Image by PhoneArena
The new iPad mini will finally make the jump to an OLED screen. It will likely be roughly the same 8.3-inch screen size and form factor.
It's been nearly a decade since Apple started using OLED screens on its iPhones, so this upgrade is long overdue. All previous iPad mini models used an LCD display, which doesn't look as vibrant, and the OLED model should have better viewing angles and contrast.
But it appears that this won't be a ProMotion 120Hz display. Most people just assume that with OLED panels these days, but it seems that Apple will cut some corners here to protect its profit margins.
That's a bit of a disappointment, as I think that many people like to use this compact tablet for gaming, and a 120Hz display would have been great for fast-paced gaming.
Apart from that, I don't expect to see changes to the size and weight of the new iPad mini.
Just like all previous minis, this new one will use a Touch ID fingerprint scanner.
Keyboard and Stylus
Image by PhoneArena
A quick reminder: the iPad mini A17 Pro model supports the Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C) model, but Apple still does not make an official Smart Keyboard Folio or Magic Keyboard because the smaller size makes fitting a keyboard a difficult task.
There are no signs that Apple will suddenly add an official keyboard for the new model, and I expect similar support for the Apple Pencil on the new model.
There haven't been detailed leaks about this specifically, so we would have to wait for the official announcement to get the final details.
Performance & Benchmarks
The A20 Pro chip in the new iPad mini is the big highlight. And it's a surprise: previous iPad minis got chipsets from older iPhones, while the new mini borrows the chip from the just-released iPhone 18 Pro family.
And the A20 Pro is Apple's first 2nm chipset, an impressively powerful piece of silicon.
Expect a huge boost in gaming performance, and a solid CPU upgrade as well.
Audio Quality
The current A17 Pro model comes with two speakers located on each side when you hold the tablet horizontally.
So far, we have heard reports from Bloomberg that the speakers will get an upgrade, but there are no specifics to those reports. This could be an upgraded 2-speaker setup or even a quad-speaker system.
Battery and Charging
One thing that hasn't changed in years is the battery life on iPads, and I suspect this new one will support the same "10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video" as the previous model.
The A17 Pro model supports USB-C charging at speeds up to 20 watts. We might see a slight upgrade to these charging speeds on this newer model, but nothing is official just yet.
Wireless charging is not likely to happen on the new iPad mini.
Camera
Image by PhoneArena
The most talked about camera upgrade with the new iPad mini is the relocation of the front camera to the landscape side, which makes a lot of sense. If you are going to take a conference call on this thing, you will likely have it standing horizontally, after all.
I still expect this to feature a single rear camera, but most people rarely use the rear camera on their tablets anyway.
I also suspect the iPad mini will support the new Photographic Styles 3.0 that we first saw on the iPhone 18 Pro series, and this will be a neat upgrade for photo editing.
Specs
And here is a specs breakdown:
|
|
| Apple iPad mini (8th Gen) | Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro) |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 7.69 x 5.31 x 0.25 inches 195.4 x 134.8 x 6.3 mm |
|
| Weight | |
| 10.48 oz / 297.0 g | |
| Materials | |
| Back: Aluminum Frame: Aluminum | Back: Aluminum Frame: Aluminum |
| Resistance | |
| Water, Dust; IP68 | |
| Biometrics | |
| Fingerprint (touch) | Fingerprint (touch) |
| Keys | |
| Right: Volume control | Right: Volume control |
| Colors | |
| Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Gray | |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 8.3-inch | 8.3-inch |
| Type | |
| OLED | IPS LCD, 60Hz |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Apple A19 Pro (3 nm) | Apple A17 pro (3 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 8GB/128GB | 8GB/128GB 8GB/256GB 8GB/512GB |
| OS | |
| iPadOS (26.x) | iPadOS (18.x) |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 5078 mAh | |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 20.0W | |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Front | |
| 12 MP | 12 MP |
See the full
Apple iPad mini (8th Gen) vs Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro) specs comparison
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Which one should you buy?
The new 2026 edition of the iPad mini is expected to be the biggest upgrade to the series so far, especially with the addition of an OLED display and the impressive A20 Pro chipset.
I am obviously not happy about the big price increase, but if you like the compact form factor of the iPad mini and you use it often, this seems like a very meaningful upgrade.
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