(Image credit: Apple / Future)

Apple's last update of the iPad mini was in 2024, when the tablet got the A17 Pro chip. The next update for Apple's smallest tablet is coming in the next couple of weeks, with the date of 27 October suggested.

The new model is thought to get an OLED display, something that's been previously reserved for the iPad Pro and that's going to have an unwelcome effect on Apple's 8-inch tablet: it's going to be a lot more expensive.

According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, the new iPad mini will cost $799 (£799) compared to the $599 (£599) price it is currently. Gurman says that this is an educated guess, but shifting the display to a higher quality panel will come with costs.

The iPad mini is thought to have the A20 Pro chip, the same as the iPhone 18 Pro, with the FaceTime camera on the long side rather than the short. This suggests a preference for landscape use rather than portrait.

What's not known at the moment is whether this OLED display is the same technology as found in the iPad Pro. The Pro offers a 120Hz refresh rate (which Apple calls ProMotion) and it's a Tandem OLED panel, which means it stacks panels to boost the brightness.

It's possible that the iPad mini will use this technology, but equally, it could have a 60Hz panel using an older OLED technology that doesn't have the same high 1,000 nits brightness that the iPad Pro offers.

A super-powered, super small device

Regardless of the technical specifications of the panel, the changes to the iPad mini paints a picture of a compact but premium tablet that's drifted a long way from the affordable model it once was. The first-gen iPad mini launched at $329 / £269, making it cheaper than the standard iPad, but over the years it has stormed past and is set to be much more expensive.

Rather than being a smaller and cheaper version, it's now repositioned as a compact powerhouse, with a premium display and the latest hardware. That shifts the appeal greatly, with those looking for a cheap iPad best served by the 11-inch iPad A16.

Across the line-up, the iPad Pro and the iPad mini seem to be taking premium slots, and if that price is correct, then the standard iPad and iPad Air become the more affordable options – with the iPad Air the option for those wanting more power, as it carries an M chip.

We're expecting the new iPad mini to be launched alongside the new MacBook Pro with a touchscreen OLED – perhaps called the MacBook Ultra.