iPad mini 8 Packs Upgrades as Price May Rise to $799

Apple is expected to unveil the iPad mini 8 at its October 2026 event; Bloomberg reporting indicates the compact tablet will receive significant hardware upgrades even as its starting price may increase to about $799.

Expected hardware upgrades

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the iPad mini 8 will move from an LCD to an OLED display and adopt the A20 Pro system-on-chip used in the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Duo. The report says Apple will increase memory to 12GB of LPDDR5X, up from 8GB in the A17 Pro-powered iPad mini 7.

OLED panel replacing the mini 7 display
A20 Pro SoC, matching Apple’s current Pro iPhone models
12GB LPDDR5X RAM versus 8GB on the mini 7
Relocated FaceTime camera
Revamped speaker system

Price history and market context

The iPad mini 7 launched in October 2024 at $499, and the device’s price was later raised by $100 amid a DRAM shortage to reach $599. Bloomberg reports Apple may start pricing the iPad mini 8 at about $799, a roughly $200 premium over the current model. The $799 figure does not include cellular connectivity, per the report.

The reporting attributes the potential increase to rising DRAM and storage costs that Apple is passing on to buyers. Bloomberg also notes that persistent discounts on other Apple tablets, for example the 11-inch M5 iPad Pro at retailers such as Amazon, could affect demand for a higher-priced mini model.

Sources, assessment and timing

Bloomberg’s coverage appears in the Power On newsletter and in a tweet by Mark Gurman dated October 11, 2026. Gurman wrote that the OLED iPad mini will be considerably more expensive than today’s $599 model, and that he expects the A20 Pro chip, a relocated FaceTime camera and an improved speaker system.

The original report included a rumor-assessment summary with an 80% probability rating and subratings of 4/5 for source, corroboration, technical detail and timeline. The iPad mini 8 is expected to be announced at Apple’s event scheduled for October 2026.