The 2026 iPad Mini is a terrific tiny tablet — for a big price - The Verge
By Google News Technology ·
The iPad Mini sometimes feels like a trap. It is, in some ways and for some people, the perfect iPad: meaningfully larger than my phone’s screen but still small and light enough to use for reading in bed or gaming on the subway. As most of the rest of the iPad line has tilted ever closer to laptop territory, the Mini might be the most iPad-y iPad left. I’ve taken a Mini everywhere with me since the very first one. But Apple only updates the Mini sporadically, and those updates sometimes feel like someone inside Apple Park picked its specs by closing their eyes and clicking randomly in an Excel sheet. The Mini is always a little underpowered, a little overpriced, and a little afield in Apple’s tablet lineup. We, the iPad Mini People, sometimes feel a little forgotten. This year’s model, though, is an upgrade through and through. Apple made the screen larger and better, while making the iPad itself smaller and lighter. It upgraded the processor in a big way. It made the whole package more durable, so you can take it to more places and use it for more things. It actually feels like a tablet made for a reason, not just another occasional bone thrown to the small-tablet fans. For the past week, I’ve been testing the midnight iPad Mini with cell service, 512GB of storage, and the nano-texture matte display coating. I really like it. It’s the best iPad Mini yet, and a huge leap over the previous model. The one in my hands also costs $1,249, and I cannot in good conscience tell you to buy it. Even the very cheapest version — Wi-Fi only, 128GB of storage, regular OLED display — starts at $699, by a wide margin the highest starting price ever for a Mini. If you don’t already know the iPad Mini is your one true love, there’s probably a better iPad out there for you. But if you’re…
Originally published by Google News Technology