2026 iPad mini drops to 4,900 mAh battery but keeps 10-hour life

Apple's 2026 iPad mini carries a 4,900 mAh battery, a figure the company has now published because European Union rules require it, according to TechRadar. That is below the 5,034 mAh cell in the 7th-generation model from 2024, roughly 97% of the earlier capacity.

The drop is modest, and Apple says run time has not fallen. The company lists 10 hours of web browsing over Wi-Fi or video playback, and 9 hours of browsing on a cellular connection, TechRadar reports.

Capacity is only one input into how long a device lasts, and Apple has a track record of drawing more hours from smaller cells than Android rivals manage on phones and tablets. The same approach appears to carry over to this eighth-generation mini.

What buyers get in exchange is a lighter, slimmer build, since the reduced cell takes up less room inside the chassis. The new tablet also gains an OLED display for the first time and an A20 Pro chip, the same silicon used in the latest iPhone 18 Pro.

Preorders are open now. Apple expects shipping to begin on Friday, November 6. The Wi-Fi only version with 128GB of storage starts at $699 in the US, £699 in the UK and AU$1,099 in Australia. Buyers can pick Midnight, a gray finish, or Starlight, a cream one.

Apple has historically declined to share battery capacities, and the EU disclosure requirement is what made these numbers public. Notebookcheck spotted the comparison between the two generations.

For anyone weighing an upgrade, the headline figure looks like a step backward. The fuller picture is a tablet that Apple says runs just as long while shedding some bulk, with a new screen and processor on top.