Apple's new iPad mini with an OLED screen costs from Dh2,849 in the UAE
The redesigned iPad mini, with an 8.5-inch OLED display, the A20 Pro chip and water resistance, is on pre-order in the UAE and reaches stores on 6 November.
Apple's smallest tablet has had its biggest change in years, and buyers in the UAE do not have to wait for it. The new iPad mini is already listed on Apple's UAE online store from Dh2,849, with pre-orders open now and deliveries and in-store availability starting on Friday 6 November.
The headline change is the screen. The iPad mini moves to an OLED display for the first time, and it grows slightly to 8.5 inches while the body gets thinner and lighter. Apple says the panel has higher contrast and more than twice the peak brightness of the previous model, and buyers can pay extra for a nano-texture glass that cuts glare. The tablet is also water and dust resistant, a first for the mini.
Inside is the A20 Pro chip, which Apple says puts a Neural Accelerator in each graphics core, aimed at the on-device artificial intelligence features in iPadOS 27. The front camera moves to the long edge, where it sits naturally for video calls in landscape, and Apple's N1 wireless chip and C2 modem bring faster Wi-Fi and, on cellular models, faster mobile data. It works with both the Apple Pencil Pro and the cheaper Apple Pencil with USB-C, and there is a new fabric Smart Folio cover in navy blue and taupe.
The mini comes in two colours, midnight and starlight, with 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of storage, in Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi plus cellular versions. In the United States it starts at 699 dollars; Apple's UAE store lists the range from Dh2,849, with the higher storage and cellular versions costing more.
One feature to note before buying: Siri AI, the new version of Siri that the tablet is built around, currently works in English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. Arabic is not on Apple's list yet.
If you want one, you can pre-order now on apple.com/ae or in the Apple Store app, and collect it or have it delivered from 6 November. Apple's stores at Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Hills Mall will stock it from that day, as will Apple's authorised resellers. Apple offers trade-in credit on an older iPad against the new one, and prices on the UAE store include VAT.
