Apple today announced the eighth-generation iPad mini , introducing a larger OLED display, a thinner and lighter design, the A20 Pro chip, and water and dust resistance, but how much does it differ from the previous model? The new ‌iPad mini‌ starts at $699 for the 128GB Wi-Fi model and $849 with cellular connectivity. With the prior generation now discontinued, buyers also face a choice between paying for the new features and finding a cheaper A17 Pro model. Both offer the same storage capacities, advertised battery life, Touch ID authentication, and USB-C transfer speeds, so the new model does not improve every aspect of the experience. Here are the key differences between the ‌iPad mini‌ with the A17 Pro chip from 2024 and the ‌iPad mini‌ with the A20 Pro chip from 2026:

‌iPad mini‌ (seventh generation, 2024)

‌iPad mini‌ (eighth generation, 2026)

8. 3-inch display

8. 5-inch display

Liquid Retina display with LED backlighting and IPS technology

Super Retina XDR ‌OLED‌ display with 1-nit minimum brightness and 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio

2266-by-1488 resolution

2316-by-1512 resolution

Wider display borders

24% thinner display borders

500 nits maximum brightness

600 nits maximum SDR and full-screen HDR brightness; 1,200 nits peak HDR brightness

Optional nano-texture display glass on 256GB and 512GB models for an additional $100, supplied with a polishing cloth

Extended external display mode with iPadOS 27. 2

IP67 water and dust resistance, rated for a maximum depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes

A17 Pro chip

A20 Pro chip, with CPU and Neural Engine configurations varying by storage capacity

Portrait front camera

Landscape front camera

Center Stage front camera with ƒ/2. 4 aperture

Center Stage front camera with ƒ/2. 0 aperture

True Tone rear flash

Adaptive True Tone rear flash

Landscape stereo speakers with external speaker holes

Acoustic Display with display-coupled woofers and concealed tweeters, without external speaker holes

Third-party wireless module

Apple N1 wireless networking chip

Wi-Fi 6E connectivity

Wi-Fi 7 connectivity

Bluetooth 5. 3 connectivity

Bluetooth 6 connectivity

Thread networking technology

Qualcomm Snapdragon X70 5G modem (Cellular models only)

Apple C2 5G modem; up to 50% faster cellular data speeds according to Apple (Cellular models only)

U. S. cellular model (A2995) supports 5G band n76

U. S. cellular model (A3596) supports LTE band 106

UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA cellular support

UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ cellular support

19. 3Wh battery

18. 9Wh battery

Fast charging up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 35W or higher USB-C power adapter

Available in Space Gray, Starlight, Purple, and Blue

Available in Midnight and Starlight

Previous polyurethane Smart Folio design

Redesigned two-panel TechWoven Smart Folio with adjustable viewing angles, available separately in Navy Blue and Taupe for $79

More than 25% recycled content overall

35% recycled content overall

Originally started at $499 (Wi-Fi) or $649 (Wi-Fi + Cellular); Wi-Fi starting price subsequently increased to $599; now discontinued

Starts at $699 (Wi-Fi) or $849 (Wi-Fi + Cellular)

A17 Pro vs…