Apple’s new OLED iPad mini 8 is up for pre-order ahead of its November 6 release — and the early deals make it the cheapest way to get into Apple’s most compact tablet yet. Best Buy is offering a free $50 gift card with every pre-order, and trading in an old device can knock the $699 starting price down to $399.
The eighth-generation iPad mini gets the headline upgrade its fans have wanted for years: an 8.5-inch OLED display — the biggest screen the Mini has ever had — plus Apple’s new A20 Pro chip, Wi-Fi 7, IP67 water resistance and a 12MP front camera moved to the long edge. The 128GB Wi-Fi model starts at $699; 256GB costs $100 more and the 512GB model is $999 (and gets a more powerful six-core CPU).
The OLED iPad Mini Pre-Order Deals Worth Knowing
Best Buy: $50 gift card + trade-in discount. Per MacRumors, you do not need a My Best Buy membership to get the $50 Best Buy gift card with an iPad mini 8 pre-order. With a qualifying trade-in, Best Buy lists the 128GB model at $399 — effectively $300 off before the gift card. Apple is also offering its own trade-in credit: iPad mini trade-in values were just raised to a maximum of $340, per Apple’s updated U.S. estimates.
Best Buy is also throwing in $10 to $30 off an Apple Pencil bought with the tablet and $10 off Microsoft 365 with an Apple device purchase, according to Deal News. Unlocked Wi-Fi + Cellular models start at $849 for 128GB and also include the $50 gift card with free shipping.
Is the OLED iPad Mini 8 a Good Deal?
For a first-ever OLED Mini with an A20 Pro chip, $699 was already competitive — the gift card and trade-in offers make pre-ordering the smart move rather than waiting. If you are eyeing a bigger screen instead, the same Best Buy promo gives a $100 gift card with the 14-inch M6 MacBook Pro (from $1,999, or $639 with a qualifying trade-in).
iPad mini OLED 2026 (Credits: 9to5Toys)
Also Read: Apple’s New iMac M6 Is Built for Faster On-Device Intelligence and The Vergecast Debates The Verge’s iPhone Duo 7/10 Review: Should It Have Been an iPad Instead?
Source: 9to5Toys — read the full story there.
