For those who need a premium small-screen tablet, the iPad mini is a popular choice. But should you buy one now, or should you wait to see what Apple has in store for the next model?
Most buyers should wait – the next model is expected to bring meaningful upgrades. However, Apple isn’t expected to update the iPad mini until late 2026, and that launch date could slip further due to chip demand and wider supply constraints.
Here’s what the latest rumors say about the release date, key upgrades, and whether it’s worth waiting.
Apple has not officially announced a specific launch date for a new iPad mini. However, industry analysis and leaks suggest that a refresh is likely to occur before the end of 2026. In October 2025, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that a new iPad mini featuring an OLED screen is among the devices Apple is expected to launch before the end of 2026. In July 2026, Gurman reported that the OLED iPad mini is scheduled for an October 2026 release.
Several reports state that the macOS 26.7 release candidate includes references to the upcoming iPad mini. This confirms that a new iPad mini is planned, but the release date has yet to be established.
Several factors could influence the timing of its release and cause delays, though, including:
Since it hasn’t been updated in over a year, the next iPad mini is expected to receive several silicon upgrades. The current model features an A17 Pro chip, 8GB of RAM, and Apple Intelligence support. Most rumors suggest Apple will upgrade the device to the A19 Pro.
In August 2025, MacRumors reported that Apple code inadvertently revealed an A19 Pro-powered iPad mini, although the publication noted that the chip could also have been intended for the iPhone Air. Additional evidence emerged in December 2025, when Macworld reported seeing internal Apple code indicating that the entry-level iPad would launch with an A19 chip. Because Apple has traditionally equipped the iPad mini with a more powerful processor than the standard iPad, this lends further support to the A19 Pro rumor.
An A19 Pro would represent a substantial upgrade over the current A17 Pro. Users could expect faster on-device AI processing, improved gaming performance, and quicker photo and video editing. The A18 Pro, which powers the MacBook Neo, is often compared to the M1 chip and can rival the M3 in some single-core workloads. An A19 Pro-powered iPad mini would push the device even closer to iPad Air-level performance.
There are also reports that Apple could use the A20 Pro in the iPad mini instead. The likely chip may depend on launch timing. If the new iPad mini arrives before the iPhone 18 Pro, which is expected to debut the A20 Pro, the A19 Pro remains the most likely option. However, if the launch slips into late 2026 or beyond, an A20 Pro-equipped iPad mini becomes increasingly plausible.
A less ambitious upgrade to the A18 Pro remains possible. While the performance gains would be smaller, the chip still offers meaningful improvements over the A17 Pro thanks to architectural enhancements and a more powerful GPU configuration. In benchmarks, it would outperform the current model, though the difference would be less dramatic than with an A19 Pro or A20 Pro.
The popularity of the MacBook Neo could also influence Apple’s chip strategy. Reports suggest demand for the Neo has been strong enough to create pressure on A18 Pro supply, which could affect the availability of chips for other products.
Alongside processor upgrades, Apple is expected to bring its latest wireless technologies to the iPad mini. With the iPhone 17 lineup, Apple introduced the N1 chip, which supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. The company has already added the N1 to the M4 iPad Air and is expected to roll it out across the iPad lineup through 2026 and 2027, including the iPad mini. Cellular models are also expected to adopt Apple’s C1X modem.
The M4 iPad Pro’s OLED Display could make its way to the iPad mini next.
The biggest display upgrade rumored for the next iPad mini is the adoption of OLED technology. Following Apple’s transition of the iPad Pro to OLED in 2024, multiple reports have suggested that the iPad mini will be the next iPad to make the switch. Ross Young of DSCC was first to claim, in a tweet in October 2024, that the next iPad mini would have a OLED.
