> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.techbetweenthelines.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # New iPad mini vs. Old iPad mini: Which One Should You Buy? - URL: https://www.techbetweenthelines.com/which-ipad-mini-should-you-buy/ - Published: 2026-10-27T19:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-27T19:00:00.000Z - Description: The new OLED iPad mini starts at $699, and only the $999 model gets the full A20 Pro chip. How it compares to last year's mini, which storage tier to buy, and when the old one is the smarter pick. - Author: Justin Scharlemann - Tags: Buying Guides, Mac & iPad, Apple, #toc Is the iPad mini still the small, affordable iPad? Not anymore. The new OLED model starts at $699, up from $499 at launch in 2024 and $599 after Apple's June price increase, and the version with the full A20 Pro chip costs $999\. That changes who it's for, and it makes last year's model a much more interesting buy than it was a week ago. We've gone through Apple's pricing for every configuration, the old and new spec sheets, and the alternatives at each price. Pre-orders for the new mini open Wednesday, October 28, and it arrives Friday, November 6. ## The Short Answer **Most people should get the new 256GB model for $799.** It has everything that makes this mini a real upgrade (the OLED screen, IP67, the landscape camera, Wi-Fi 7) and enough storage for downloaded shows and books, for $100 more than the 128GB base. **If you mostly read, browse and take notes, a refurbished A17 Pro mini at $509 is the value pick.** It costs $190 less than the new base model and does those jobs well. **Buy the 512GB model only if you plan to keep it four years or more and lean on Apple Intelligence.** It's the only one with the full A20 Pro chip, and it starts at $999. ## New vs. Old: What Actually Changed Apple calls this the biggest iPad mini update ever, and on paper it is. Here's how the two compare, using Apple's own spec pages. | | iPad mini (A20 Pro, 2026) | iPad mini (A17 Pro, 2024) | | -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | | Price (Wi-Fi, 128GB) | $699 new | $509 refurbished from Apple | | Display | 8.5 inch OLED, 600 nits (1,200 HDR), down to 1 nit | 8.3 inch LCD, 500 nits | | Chip | A20 Pro: 5 core CPU (6 on 512GB), 7 core GPU | A17 Pro: 6 core CPU, 5 core GPU | | Neural Engine | 16 core (dual 16 core on 512GB) | 16 core | | Thickness and weight | 5.4mm, 0.56 lb | 6.3mm, 0.65 lb | | Water and dust | IP67 | None | | Front camera | 12MP Center Stage, landscape edge | 12MP Center Stage, portrait edge | | Wireless | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 | | Battery | Up to 10 hours | Up to 10 hours | | Apple Pencil | Pencil Pro, Pencil (USB-C) | Pencil Pro, Pencil (USB-C) | | Colors | Midnight, Starlight | Space Gray, Blue, Purple, Starlight | The display is the change you'll notice every day. OLED gives real blacks and much better contrast, and the 1 nit minimum makes it far better for reading in bed. The bezels are 24% thinner, so the screen grows to 8.5 inches in the same footprint. Neither spec sheet lists ProMotion, so both appear to run at 60Hz. IP67 matters more than it sounds on a tablet this size. The mini is the iPad people take into kitchens, onto planes and to the pool, and the old one had no water rating at all. The front camera moving to the long edge fixes the old mini's worst habit: looking off to the side on every video call when it's in landscape. ## Which Storage Tier Should You Get? Apple's US prices for the new iPad mini: - 128GB: $699 Wi-Fi, $849 cellular - 256GB: $799 Wi-Fi, $949 cellular, plus $100 for nano-texture glass - 512GB: $999 Wi-Fi, $1,149 cellular, plus $100 for nano-texture glass Storage normally comes down to how much you download. On this mini it also decides which chip you get. The 128GB and 256GB models have a binned A20 Pro with a 5 core CPU and a single 16 core Neural Engine, the same core count as the old A17 Pro. The 512GB model gets a 6 core CPU and a second 16 core Neural Engine, and that second engine is where Apple's "double the processing power" claim comes from. All three share the same 7 core GPU. That makes the 256GB model the sweet spot. It has the same chip as the base model, twice the storage, and it's the cheapest way to get nano-texture glass if you read outside a lot. The jump to 512GB costs $200 more and is worth it mainly for future Apple Intelligence and Siri AI headroom, which you won't feel on day one. Read more about [what the binned chip means](https://www.techbetweenthelines.com/new-ipad-mini-oled-a20-pro/) in our launch coverage. ![A person lying on a blanket in a park reading on the new iPad mini](https://www.techbetweenthelines.com/content/images/2026/10/ipad-mini-guide-lifestyle.jpg) The new mini's OLED screen and optional nano-texture glass are made for reading outside. Image: Apple ## Should You Buy the Old iPad mini Instead? Apple no longer sells the A17 Pro iPad mini new, and its refurbished stock comes and goes. On October 27 the refurbished store listed only the older iPad mini 6, so check back if the A17 Pro model isn't showing. Refurbished units come with the same one year warranty as new ones. - 128GB Wi-Fi: $509 - 256GB Wi-Fi: $599 - 512GB Wi-Fi: $769 - Cellular: $639 (128GB), $729 (256GB), $899 (512GB) The old mini makes sense if it lives on a nightstand or in a bag as a reader, a notebook with Apple Pencil, or a couch tablet. It runs iPadOS 27 and supports Apple Intelligence, and the A17 Pro is still fast for everything a small tablet does. You give up the OLED screen, water resistance and the landscape camera. If those don't matter to you, $190 to $200 in savings is real money. Retailers may also clear out remaining new stock in the coming weeks, so it's worth checking before you order refurbished. One model to skip: Apple also sells the older iPad mini 6 refurbished for $459\. Its A15 chip doesn't support Apple Intelligence, and for $50 more the A17 Pro model is the better buy. ## Or Should You Go Bigger? The math changed this year. The 11 inch iPad Air with M4 now starts at $749, only $50 more than the new mini. For that you get a much bigger 11 inch screen, the M4 chip, a landscape front camera and support for the full size Magic Keyboard. You give up OLED, IP67 and a lot of portability: the Air weighs 1.02 pounds, nearly double the mini. If you'll mostly use it at a desk or on the couch with a keyboard, the Air is the better tablet for the money. If you want something you hold in one hand, carry everywhere and read on, the mini is still the one. And if price is what matters most, the base iPad starts at $449, though its A16 chip doesn't support Apple Intelligence. ## Who Should Wait If you've been waiting for ProMotion on the mini, it isn't on Apple's spec sheet, and an OLED tablet at this price running at 60Hz is the biggest compromise in this release. If smooth scrolling matters to you, the iPad Pro has it, starting at $1,199\. For everyone else, this is the biggest change the mini has had in years, and there's no official sign of anything better coming soon. We'll have more once we've used one. If you're ordering on Wednesday, the 256GB model in either color is the one we'd pick. **Our pick:** iPad mini (A20 Pro) 256GB. **Best value:** refurbished iPad mini (A17 Pro) 128GB at $509. Our picks Pre-orders for the new iPad mini open Wednesday, October 28. Best for most people iPad mini (A20 Pro), 256GB OLED, IP67 and the landscape camera, with room for downloads and apps. From $799. [Check price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Apple+iPad+mini+A20+Pro&tag=techbtl-guide-20&ref=techbetweenthelines.com) Best value iPad mini (A17 Pro) Last year's mini is still a great reader and notebook, and costs less wherever it's still in stock. [Check price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Apple+iPad+mini+A17+Pro&tag=techbtl-guide-20&ref=techbetweenthelines.com) We earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, TBTL earns from qualifying purchases. It never changes our picks.