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iPad mini الجديد رسمياً: شاشة OLED ومعالج A20 Pro وسماكة 5.4 ملم — من 2,849 درهم بالإمارات والحجز يبدأ الأربعاء

New iPad mini is official: OLED display, A20 Pro, 5.4 mm thin, from AED 2,849 in the UAE with pre-orders Wednesday

by Slorks 2026-10-27 2 0 replies
Machine-translated — the Arabic text is the original
iPad mini الجديد رسمياً: شاشة OLED ومعالج A20 Pro وسماكة 5.4 ملم — من 2,849 درهم بالإمارات والحجز يبدأ الأربعاءالصورة: Apple

Two years after the A17 Pro model, Apple gave its smallest iPad its biggest update: iPad mini (2026) is the first mini with an OLED display, runs the 2nm A20 Pro, measures 5.4 mm and 255 g (down from 6.3 mm and 297 g), and is IP67 rated for the first time. UAE pre-orders open Wednesday, October 28; availability is Friday, November 6.

iPad mini 2026
The new iPad mini in Midnight and Starlight — Photo: Apple

What is new

The 8.5-inch OLED is 2316×1512, hits 1,200 nits peak (more than double the previous model), has 24% thinner bezels and an optional nano-texture glass, but it is still 60Hz, no ProMotion. The speakers moved under the display in an "Acoustic Display" setup with tweeters hidden between glass and aluminium. The N1 chip brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6; cellular models use the C2 modem and are eSIM-only. The 12MP front camera sits on the landscape edge, the 12MP rear camera records 4K60, and fast charging reaches 50% in 30 minutes with a 35W adapter.

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One catch from the spec page: the 128GB and 256GB models get a 5-core CPU and a smaller Neural Engine, while only the 512GB model has the full 6-core CPU and "Dual 16-core Neural Engine". Maximum AI performance means paying for the top tier.

OLED display on iPad mini
The 8.5-inch OLED with 24% thinner bezels — Photo: Apple

UAE prices (VAT included)

ModelWi-FiWi-Fi + Cellular
128GBAED 2,849AED 3,449
256GBAED 3,249AED 3,849
512GBAED 4,049AED 4,649
Nano-texture (256 / 512GB)AED 3,649 / 4,449AED 4,249 / 5,049
US for comparisonfrom $699from $849

Accessories: TechWoven Smart Folio AED 339, Apple Pencil Pro AED 529, Apple Pencil (USB-C) AED 319. Colours: Midnight and Starlight only.

Why it matters

The UAE is among the 36 launch countries in the first pre-order wave, and AED 2,849 is roughly AED 280 above a straight conversion of $699 because of VAT. The same day, Apple shipped iOS 27.2 and expanded Siri AI to French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish; Arabic is still not included, so the Siri AI feature Apple is marketing on this device does not work in our language yet. Greg Joswiak also called this the "start" of an exciting week: Bloomberg expects M6 iMac and MacBook Pro on Tuesday and a touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro on Wednesday.

My take

This is the first iPad mini I can call a modern device without excuses: OLED, IP67 and 5.4 mm at an unchanged US price. Two things bother me: 60Hz on a 2026 display at this price has no justification, and segmenting the chip by storage is an uncomfortable move. The 256GB at AED 3,249 is the sensible pick for most people, but anyone who wants the full Neural Engine needs AED 4,049. And if you are considering cellular, remember it is eSIM-only.

Sources: Apple Newsroom · Apple Store الإمارات · GSMArena · Tbreak · 9to5Mac · Apple — Siri AI languages

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