iPad mini 8 Release Date: Nov 6 From $699, and Is It Worth It?

The iPad mini 8 release date is Friday, November 6, 2026. That is the day the new iPad mini 2026 model, with an 8.5-inch OLED screen and Apple's A20 Pro chip, goes on sale at Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, starting at $699 for the 128GB Wi-Fi version.

That $699 is $200 more than the previous iPad mini cost at launch, according to Engadget's review. The reviews that landed on November 3 still rate the iPad mini 8 well: 8.5 out of 10 from Engadget and 8 out of 10 from The Verge. Both like the tablet. Both flag the price.

One naming note, because it trips up search. Shoppers and some retailers and outlets call it the iPad mini 8, but Apple sells it as the "iPad mini (A20 Pro)", named after its chip, and none of the Apple pages we checked uses the number 8. You will also see "iPad mini 8th generation" in search results and in at least one outlet's URL; that is not Apple's wording either. Same tablet, three names.

iPad mini 8 release date: when does the iPad mini 8 come out?

Friday, November 6, 2026. Apple's buy page says it plainly: "Available starting 11.6." From that day the new iPad mini 8 is sold at Apple Store locations and by Apple Authorized Resellers, according to Apple's announcement.

The whole launch fits inside two weeks:

• Monday, October 26: Apple announced the iPad mini (A20 Pro).
• Wednesday, October 28: pre-orders opened on apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 36 countries and regions.
• Tuesday, November 3: reviews from Engadget and The Verge went live.
• Friday, November 6: on sale at Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers.

That settles the iPad mini 8 rumors: the launch is real and dated. Apple's spec sheet is public, the reviews are out, and every figure in this guide comes from those sources or from arithmetic we label as ours. As of November 4, we found no reported delay or date change.

iPad mini 8 price

Prices start at $699 for 128GB on Wi-Fi and climb to $1,249 for a fully loaded cellular model with nano-texture glass (an optional screen finish). Here is Apple's full US grid from its store page:

Two patterns fall out of that grid (our arithmetic, from Apple's prices): cellular adds $150 at every storage tier, and nano-texture adds $100 but only on 256GB and 512GB. Apple also offers monthly payments of $58.25 for 12 months on the base Wi-Fi model and $70.75 for 12 months on the base cellular model. Education pricing starts at $649 for Wi-Fi.

Storage is not the only thing you buy with the bigger tiers. According to Apple's specs, the 128GB and 256GB models get a 5-core CPU, a 7-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine (the part of the chip that handles AI tasks). The 512GB model gets a 6-core CPU, the same 7-core GPU and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. If you want the most chip, $999 is the entry point.

Accessories are extra. Apple Pencil Pro costs $129, Apple Pencil (USB-C) costs $79 and the Smart Folio costs $79. A base Wi-Fi model with Apple Pencil Pro and a Smart Folio comes to $907 before tax, by our math ($699 + $129 + $79).

How does that compare with the old price? Engadget says $699 is $200 above the previous model's launch price and $100 above what Apple charged for it after its summer price increases. That works out to $499 at launch and $599 more recently, by our arithmetic from Engadget's figures. If you are weighing another Apple upgrade this season, see our guide on who should upgrade from the MacBook Pro M5 to the M6.

iPad mini 8 vs iPad mini 7: what changed

Outlets commonly call the previous model the iPad mini 7; this guide says "previous iPad mini". Apple calls the new one its "biggest update ever" in the announcement headline, and The Verge's David Pierce calls it the best iPad mini yet and a huge leap over the previous model. Here are the changes Apple and the reviewers spell out directly against the old model:

• Price: $200 more than the previous iPad mini at launch, per Engadget.
• Size: thinner and lighter, with a slightly bigger screen, per Engadget.
• Speakers: Engadget calls the new speakers impressive.
• Cellular: the cellular models use Apple's C2 modem, which Apple says delivers up to 50% faster cellular data than the previous iPad mini.

And here are the iPad mini 8 specs as listed on Apple's specs page and in its newsroom post:

• Display: 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, 2316 by 1512 at 326 ppi, up to 1200 nits peak brightness (nits measure how bright a screen gets), 600 nits full-screen and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio.
• Chip: A20 Pro, built on a 2-nanometer process (the chip manufacturing process; a smaller number generally means more transistors in the same space).
• Body: 5.4 mm thick, 255 g for Wi-Fi and 263 g for cellular, with an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.
• Wireless: Apple's N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6; cellular models get 5G sub-6 GHz with 4x4 MIMO (multiple antennas working at once).
• Cameras: a 12MP Wide rear camera with 4K video up to 60 fps, and a 12MP Center Stage front camera on the landscape edge.
• Ports and login: USB-C up to 10Gb/s and Touch ID in the top button.
• Battery: 18.9 Wh, rated for up to 10 hours of web or video on Wi-Fi and up to 9 hours of web on cellular. Apple says a 35W or higher USB-C adapter gets it to about 50% in around 30 minutes.
• Software and colors: iPadOS 27, in midnight or starlight.

The comparison list is short because that is all the sources state outright. Engadget's verdict sums up the trade in its subtitle: "Apple made significant improvements this year, but they don't come cheap."

Does the iPad mini 8 OLED screen have 120Hz?

No. Engadget lists a refresh rate that is still 60Hz among its cons, so the panel is 60Hz, not 120Hz. Refresh rate is how many times per second the screen redraws; a 120Hz panel redraws twice as often as a 60Hz one, which makes scrolling look smoother.

Apple's own newsroom post and specs page do not state a refresh rate at all. So the 60Hz figure comes from Engadget's review, not from Apple.

The iPad mini OLED panel is one of Engadget's favourite things about the tablet; it calls the display lovely and lists it among the pros. Apple's figures back that up on paper: up to 1200 nits peak and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

The second gap Engadget flags is Face ID. There is none. You unlock the iPad mini (A20 Pro) with Touch ID, the fingerprint sensor Apple builds into the top button.

Is the new iPad mini worth it?

Yes, if you want the newest iPad mini hardware and can live with 60Hz and Touch ID; both reviews say it is a big step up, and both say you pay for it. The Verge's headline puts it in one line: "The 2026 iPad Mini is a terrific tiny tablet, for a big price." Pierce tested the midnight cellular 512GB model with nano-texture glass, which is the $1,249 top tier on Apple's grid.

Engadget's Nathan Ingraham gives it 8.5 out of 10. His pros: excellent performance, a lovely OLED display, nano-texture glass that is great but pricey, a thinner and lighter body with a slightly bigger screen, and impressive new speakers. His cons: the $200 jump over the last model's launch price, the 60Hz refresh rate and no Face ID.

Battery life is the open question. Engadget got about five to six hours of gaming, and says light use comes closer to Apple's rating of roughly 10 hours. About 30 minutes of the game Control used 11 percent. Its full video-loop battery test was not finished when the review went up.

Our read on who should buy, based on those facts:

What to watch next

The iPad mini 8 release date is set for Friday, November 6, and nothing reported so far has moved it. A few things are still worth tracking after it hits stores:

• Engadget's battery result. The video-loop test was unfinished at publication, and that number should show how far gaming and light use really differ.
• Your local price. Everything in this guide is Apple's US pricing. Pre-orders opened in 36 countries and regions, so check Apple's store for your country before you buy.
• The naming. Apple uses "iPad mini (A20 Pro)" on its newsroom, specs and store pages, so search for that name, not iPad mini 8, when you hunt for official support documents and accessories.
• The rest of the reviews. Engadget and The Verge were first. Watch for other outlets' battery and display testing, and check whether they confirm Engadget's 60Hz finding.

For another Apple hardware change this season, see our explainer on which new MacBook Pro has a touch screen.