RindrawDrawing on the new iPad mini
Apple announced a new iPad mini on October 26, 2026, with an OLED screen and Apple Pencil Pro support. Here's what that means if you draw: the screen, the glass, which Pencil to get, and what canvas size to use.
From Apple's announcement and specifications. Checked October 26, 2026. Pre-orders open October 28; it's in stores November 6.
What matters for drawing
| Spec | 2026 iPad mini |
|---|---|
| Screen | 8.5-inch OLED, 2316 × 1512 pixels, 326 ppi |
| Color | P3 wide color, 2,000,000:1 contrast |
| Brightness | 600 nits; 1200 nits peak for HDR; as low as 1 nit |
| Glass | Antireflective coating; nano-texture on the 256 GB and 512 GB models |
| Apple Pencil | Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), with hover |
| Chip | A20 Pro |
| Weight | 255 g (Wi-Fi), 5.4 mm thin |
| Price | From $699 (Wi-Fi), $849 (Wi-Fi + Cellular); $649 with education pricing |
The screen
OLED is the biggest change for artists. Each pixel makes its own light, so blacks are black rather than a glowing gray, and dark paintings and line art on a dark background look the way they will on other OLED phones and tablets. With P3 color, saturated reds, greens and oranges that sRGB can't show come through too.
The screen dims to 1 nit, which makes late-night sketching in a dark room easier on the eyes.
Apple's specification page doesn't list ProMotion, the 120 Hz refresh that makes a stroke follow the tip more closely. If that's what you're choosing on, try one in a store before you buy.
Nano-texture or a screen protector
Nano-texture is glass etched to scatter reflections, so it cuts glare without a film on top. It's for drawing near windows, outdoors or under bright lights. It's only on the 256 GB and 512 GB models.
It isn't the same as a paper-feel protector. Those add drag that some artists like under the Pencil tip, and they wear the tip faster. If the drag is what you want, a protector is the cheaper way to get it, on any model.
Which Apple Pencil
- Apple Pencil Pro, $129 ($119 with education pricing): pressure, tilt, hover, squeeze and barrel roll. The one to get for drawing.
- Apple Pencil (USB-C), $79 ($69 with education pricing): tilt and hover, but no pressure sensitivity. Fine for notes and sketches; line weight won't follow how hard you press.
In Rindraw, squeezing the Pencil Pro brings up the Quick Menu or a palette at the tip (you choose which), and barrel roll turns flat and angled brushes as you twist the Pencil. With the USB-C Pencil, Rindraw works pressure out from how fast you draw, so lines still thin and thicken.
Is 8.5 inches big enough?
For sketchbook work, studies, thumbnails and drawing on a train, yes: at 255 grams it's held in one hand like a paper sketchbook. For long sessions on detailed pieces, a bigger iPad gives the drawing more room, because the tool bars and palettes take a larger share of a small screen. Full screen in Rindraw hides the bars while you draw.
What canvas size to use
The screen is 2316 × 1512 pixels, so a canvas that size fills it exactly. Choose the canvas for what the art is for, though, not for the screen: A4 at 300 dpi is 2480 × 3508, an Instagram portrait post is 1080 × 1350. See canvas sizes for drawing for print, comics and social posts.
In Rindraw the canvas size matters less than in most apps: strokes are kept as the paths you drew and drawn again at export size, so a sketch made on the mini prints sharp at A3.
Sources
- Apple, iPad mini technical specifications: screen, brightness, glass, Pencil support, weight.
- Apple Newsroom, Apple gives iPad mini its biggest update ever: prices, Pencil prices and dates.
Related guides
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