Key takeaways
- Apple is expected to announce a new iPad mini on Wednesday, October 28, with an OLED display, the A20 Pro chip, 12GB of memory and, for the first time on any iPad, water resistance. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says it could start around $799, up from $599.
- A new EU battery regulation wants batteries in portable devices to be replaceable by users from 2027, with an exception for devices designed to be used in wet conditions.
- My view: water resistance is a great feature, but I think Europe made Apple do it. The 12GB for Siri is embarrassing, and 60Hz on a $799 tablet is the usual Apple game.
According to 9to5Mac and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple will show a new iPad mini this week, together with the new MacBook Pro. It is all still rumors, but the list is long. An OLED display instead of LCD, the first big display change since 2021. The A20 Pro chip from the iPhone 18 Pro with 12GB of memory instead of 8GB, about 60% faster in multi-core CPU and 166% faster in graphics than today’s A17 Pro, according to 9to5Mac. And a new sealed design with speakers that work by vibration, without open holes, so water has no way in. That would make it the first iPad with real water resistance.
What is not clear: the refresh rate. 9to5Mac reported earlier this month that the mini may stay at 60Hz, and MacRumors says the panel may be a single-stack OLED, not the tandem OLED of the iPad Pro. And the price: Gurman says closer to $799, which I already called senseless.
| iPad mini today | New iPad mini (rumored) | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 8.3-inch LCD, 60Hz | OLED, about 8.5 inches, 60Hz or 120Hz unclear |
| Chip | A17 Pro | A20 Pro |
| Memory | 8GB | 12GB |
| Water resistance | None | First water-resistant iPad |
| Speakers | Speaker holes | Vibration speakers, no holes |
| Price | $599 | Around $799 |
In this article: Water resistance: finally · Why now? Europe and replaceable batteries · Europe has nothing better to do · 12GB for Siri? Embarrassing · 60Hz: the usual Apple game · A20 Pro: so the iPad lives longer · The iPad Air is still the golden middle. For now · FAQ
Water resistance: finally
For me, this is a good feature, and I quite like it. The iPad mini is a very popular iPad among Apple users, and I think this small iPad deserves water resistance. You can take it to the beach, pick it up with wet hands, and not be afraid that it breaks when water gets inside.
Some readers on MacRumors say it solves a problem nobody has, and that for reading by the pool a Kindle is better anyway. I don’t agree. A small iPad is exactly the device you take everywhere: to the kitchen, to the bathroom, on holiday. That is where the water is.
Why now? Europe and replaceable batteries
And here, maybe, is the real reason why the iPad gets water resistance. I have the feeling it is because of the European Parliament. The EU’s new battery regulation wants users to be able to replace the batteries in portable devices themselves from February 2027. But there is an exception for devices designed to work in wet conditions. Readers on MacRumors noticed it too. Apple has not said anything like that, so this is my suspicion, not a fact.
If it is true, I quite understand Apple. Make the device water resistant, and you do not have to redesign it so that anyone can pull the battery out.
Europe has nothing better to do
And when I think about it, on the other side I cannot stand what Europe does. Why does it have nothing better to do? Why does it keep harassing companies, and just sit and think about what to order companies to do next?
They want to tell me it is ecological if people start changing batteries in their devices? I don’t think people will use it. Who will see that the battery still has 95% and go and change it himself? Europe talks about ecology, and what does it do itself? The recycling of those batteries is harmful too. I don’t like it.
12GB for Siri? Embarrassing
Apple and Siri again, please. According to 9to5Mac, the extra memory is there so the iPad mini can run Apple’s most advanced on-device models for Siri. I have the feeling we have to tell Apple more often that it is embarrassing to keep talking about Siri everywhere as something it is not. At the moment, in my opinion, it cannot even be called AI. It is too weak, and the competition is far ahead.
And because of that Siri and that memory, we will feel it in the price when it goes on sale. I expect plus $200, and once again we will feel how the price jumps up.
60Hz: the usual Apple game
If we get only 60Hz from Apple, for me that is a completely normal thing from Apple. And then, a year later, they come out and say: this is the first iPad mini with 120Hz. That is really not fair. Most competitors at this price have 120Hz tablets, and Apple sells it as something mega special. My God, these displays have been on the market for a long time, and they still play the game that 120Hz is only for the expensive versions.
And it is true. Even the iPad Air still tops out at 60Hz. Only the iPad Pro has ProMotion. Even the regular iPhone 17 has 120Hz, but a $799 iPad mini may not.
A20 Pro: so the iPad lives longer
A more powerful chip in the iPad is about time, because apps for the iPad need more and more powerful chips. So it is more about the iPad living longer and being faster, and I support that.
When someone says the A17 Pro was enough, I agree. But we don’t know for how long. Maybe another year or two, and then people start to feel it is not enough. And for Apple, selling a device that slows down in a year or two would be very bad advertising. People are used to the iPad they buy lasting them for years, not one or two.
The iPad Air is still the golden middle. For now
As I said, until now the iPad Air is, for me, the golden middle among iPads. I like it. It is powerful, thin and has a very nice design. And the 11-inch iPad Air starts at $599, while the new mini may cost $799.
But let’s see what Apple shows us on October 28. Maybe the iPad mini gets a good OLED with 120Hz and water resistance, and it will not be so expensive. We will see. I just have to wait.
Also on Evolt News: Apple’s “Pro and Tell” on October 28 · Touchscreen MacBook Pro on November 6
Photo: Apple.
This article is opinion.
New iPad mini: FAQ
When is the new iPad mini coming?
Apple is expected to announce the new iPad mini on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, together with new MacBook Pro models, according to 9to5Mac and Bloomberg.
Will the new iPad mini be waterproof?
Reports say Apple is designing a sealed enclosure with vibration-based speakers to keep water out. It would be the first iPad with water resistance. Apple has not confirmed it.
How much will the OLED iPad mini cost?
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the new iPad mini could start closer to $799. The current model starts at $599.
Will the iPad mini have a 120Hz display?
It is not clear. 9to5Mac reported the new iPad mini may stay at 60Hz. Today, only the iPad Pro has 120Hz ProMotion among iPads.
What chip will the new iPad mini have?
Reports point to the A20 Pro with 12GB of memory, up from the A17 Pro with 8GB.
Sources: 9to5Mac, Bloomberg, MacRumors, MacRumors Forums, TechRadar.
Our Take
A water-resistant iPad mini is a good idea, and I like it: the beach, wet hands, no fear. But I think the real push came from Europe’s battery rules, not from Apple’s love for its users.
12GB for a Siri that is not real AI yet, and maybe 60Hz for around $799? That is the usual Apple game. My advice stays: the iPad Air is still the golden middle, at least until Wednesday.
