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Technology

Apple’s smallest iPad now costs ₹82,900, but is the OLED upgrade worth it?

hellohimachalse@gmail.com 26 Oct 2026 1 hour ago

Apple has launched its new iPad mini, bringing an OLED display to its smallest tablet for the first time. Announced on Monday, October 26, the updated iPad mini comes with a larger 8.5-inch screen, Apple’s A20 Pro processor, improved cameras and water resistance. There is a noticeable jump in price too. The new iPad mini starts at ₹82,900 in India, putting it firmly in premium tablet territory.

Apple has made the device thinner at just 5.4 mm, with narrower bezels and a new audio system built around the display. The tablet runs iPadOS 27 and supports the company’s latest Siri AI features. Pre-orders begin on October 28, with sales starting November 6. Buyers can choose between midnight and starlight finishes, with three storage options.

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iPad mini gets OLED display and faster A20 Pro chip

The biggest change is the 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen, replacing the previous generation’s LCD panel.

Apple claims peak brightness of 1,200 nits, more than twice that of the older model. There is a new nano-texture option to reduce reflections, particularly useful outdoors.

Under the hood, the A20 Pro chip uses Apple’s 2-nanometre manufacturing process. The company claims up to 60 per cent faster multithreaded CPU performance and 2.7 times faster graphics compared with the previous iPad mini.

AI performance is claimed to be up to 4.5 times faster, though these are Apple’s own test figures.

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Siri AI, cameras and water resistance

The new iPad mini supports Siri AI, which can use information from messages, emails and on-screen content to answer questions and assist users. These features are rolling out in beta and have language restrictions.

Apple has moved the 12MP front camera to the landscape edge. There is a 12MP rear camera capable of recording 4K video at 60 fps.

Other additions include IP67 water and dust resistance, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Apple’s C2 modem on cellular models.

The tablet supports Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil USB-C, both sold separately.

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Apple iPad mini 2026 price and availability in India

The new iPad mini starts at ₹82,900 for the Wi-Fi version and ₹1,00,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

Storage choices include 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. Apple has not provided the complete India price breakdown for every configuration in its announcement.

The new Smart Folio costs ₹8,500, Apple Pencil Pro costs ₹11,900 and Apple Pencil USB-C costs ₹7,900.

Pre-orders open on October 28, and retail availability begins November 6.

The higher starting price could make the new mini a tougher choice for casual tablet buyers, particularly those who mainly use an iPad for streaming, reading and browsing, which is most of us.

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