Compare / Apple iPad mini (2026) vs iPhone 18 Pro Max

Apple iPad mini (2026) vs iPhone 18 Pro Max

A side-by-side comparison of the Apple iPad mini (2026) and the iPhone 18 Pro Max, covering display, chipset, memory, camera, battery and build.

Overview

Display
Apple iPad mini (2026)
8.5inch
Super Retina XDR OLED
1512 × 2316 · 325 PPI
iPhone 18 Pro Max
6.9inch
LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED · 120 Hz
1320 × 2868 · 460 PPI
Chip
Apple iPad mini (2026)
Apple A20 Pro (2 nm)
Penta-core (2x super cores + 3x efficiency cores) - 128/256GB
Apple GPU (7-core graphics) · iPadOS 27
iPhone 18 Pro Max
Apple A20 Pro (2 nm)
Hexa-core (2x4.93 GHz + 4x2.64 GHz)
Apple GPU (7-core graphics) · iOS 27
Memory
Apple iPad mini (2026)
128 GB · 256 GB · 512 GB storage
No card slot
iPhone 18 Pro Max
12GB RAM
256 GB · 512 GB · 1 TB · 2 TB storage
No card slot
Camera
Apple iPad mini (2026)
12MP
12 MP selfie
4K@24/25/30/60fps video
iPhone 18 Pro Max
48MP Main
48 MP Periscope
48 MP Ultra Wide
18 MP selfie
4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps video
Battery
Apple iPad mini (2026)
—
iPhone 18 Pro Max
5,391mAh
25 W wireless
Build
Apple iPad mini (2026)
255g
195.3 × 132.6 × 5.4 mm
IP67
iPhone 18 Pro Max
249g
163.4 × 78 × 8.8 mm
IP68
Connectivity
Apple iPad mini (2026)
5GWi-Fi 7Bluetooth 6.0eSIM (cellular model only)USB Type-C 3.1 Gen2
iPhone 18 Pro Max
5GWi-Fi 7Bluetooth 6.0NFCNano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International)USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2

Specifications

Apple iPad mini (2026)

Technology
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bands
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G bands

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66, 71, 106 - A3596

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66, 71, 106 - A3597

5G bands
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA - A3596, A3597
Speed
HSPA, LTE, 5G - cellular model only

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Technology
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bands
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G bands

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 106 - A3717

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 71 - A3473

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 71, 106 - A3716

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66, 106 - A3718

5G bands

1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3717

1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - A3473

1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3716

1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3718

Speed
HSPA, LTE, 5G

Apple iPad mini (2026)

Announced
2026, October 26
Status
Coming soon. Exp. release 2026, November 06

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Announced
2026, September 09
Status
Available. Released 2026, September 18

Apple iPad mini (2026)

Dimensions
195.3 x 132.6 x 5.4 mm (7.69 x 5.22 x 0.21 in)
Weight
255 g (Wi-Fi) / 263 g (Wi-Fi + Cellular) (8.99 oz)
Build
Glass front, aluminum back, aluminum frame
SIM

eSIM (cellular model only)

IP67 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1m for 30 min)

Stylus support

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Dimensions
163.4 x 78 x 8.8 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in)
Weight
249 g (8.78 oz)
Build
Glass front (Ceramic Shield 2), aluminum frame, aluminum back/ glass back (Ceramic Shield)
SIM

· Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International)

· eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA)

· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; China)

IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 6m for 30 min)

Apple iPad mini (2026)

Type
Super Retina XDR OLED, 600 nits (typ), 1200 nits (HBM)
Size
8.5 inches, 213.4 cm2 (~82.4% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution

1512 x 2316 pixels, 3:2 ratio (~325 ppi density)

Anti-reflective coating

Nano-texture display glass (optional)

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Type
LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED120HzHDR10Dolby Vision1000 nits (typ)1600 nits (HBM)3000 nits (peak)
Size
6.9 inches, 115.6 cm2 (~90.7% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution
1320 x 2868 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density)
Protection

Ceramic Shield 2

Anti-reflective coating

Apple iPad mini (2026)

OS
iPadOS 27
Chipset
Apple A20 Pro (2 nm)
CPU

Penta-core (2x super cores + 3x efficiency cores) - 128/256GB

Hexa-core (2x super cores + 4x efficiency cores) - 512GB

GPU
Apple GPU (7-core graphics)

iPhone 18 Pro Max

OS
iOS 27
Chipset
Apple A20 Pro (2 nm)
CPU
Hexa-core (2x4.93 GHz + 4x2.64 GHz)
GPU
Apple GPU (7-core graphics)

Apple iPad mini (2026)

Card slot
No
Internal
128GB, 256GB, 512GB

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Card slot
No
Internal

256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM, 2TB 12GB RAM

NVMe

Apple iPad mini (2026)

Single
12 MP, f/1.8, (wide), AF
Features
Multi-focus LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video
4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Triple

48 MP, f/1.5-4.0, 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS (gen2)

48 MP, f/2.8, 100mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, PDAF, 3D sensor‑shift OIS, 4x optical zoom

48 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, PDAF

TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth)

Features
Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama), Cinematic from regular video
Video
4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps10-bit HDRDolby Vision HDR (up to 120fps)ProResProRes RAW (up to 120fps)Apple Log 23D (spatial) video/audiostereo sound rec.

Apple iPad mini (2026)

Single
12 MP, f/2.0, 122˚ (ultrawide)
Features
HDR
Video
1080p@25/30/60fps, gyro-EIS

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Single

18 MP multi-aspect, f/1.9, 20mm (ultrawide), PDAF

SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)

Features
HDRDolby Vision HDR3D (spatial) audiostereo sound rec.ProRes RAWApple Log 2
Video
4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS

Apple iPad mini (2026)

Loudspeaker
Yes
3.5mm jack

No

Stereo audio using Acoustic Display

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Loudspeaker
Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack
No

Apple iPad mini (2026)

WLAN
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, dual-band, hotspot
Bluetooth
6.0, A2DP, LE
Positioning
GPS, GLONASS - cellular model only
NFC
No
Radio
No
USB
USB Type-C 3.1 Gen2, DisplayPort

iPhone 18 Pro Max

WLAN
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, hotspot
Bluetooth
6.0, A2DP, LE
Positioning
GPS (L1+L5)GLONASSGALILEOBDSQZSSNavIC
NFC
Yes
Radio
No
USB
USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort

Apple iPad mini (2026)

Sensors
Fingerprint (top-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, compass, barometer

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Sensors

Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer

Ultra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip)

Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite

Apple iPad mini (2026)

Type
Li-Ion (18.9 Wh)
Charging
Wired, 50% in 30 min

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Type

Market-dependent versions:

· Li-Ion 5391 mAh - Nano SIM model

· Li-Ion 5567 mAh - eSIM only model

Charging

Wired, PD3.2, AVS, 50% in 15 min

25W wireless MagSafe/Qi2, 50% in 30 min (15W - China)

4.5W reverse wired

Apple iPad mini (2026)

Colors
Midnight, Starlight
Models
A3596, A3597
Price
About 750 EUR

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Colors
Black, Silver, Glacier, Burgundy
Models
A3717, A3473, A3716, A3718
Price
£ 1,299.00 / € 1,599.00

Apple iPad mini (2026)

Not listed for this device

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Performance

AnTuTu: 3463072 (v11)

GeekBench: 12794 (v6), 11558 (v7)

3DMark: 7931 (Wild Life Extreme)

Display
969 nits max brightness (measured)
Loudspeaker
-25.0 LUFS (Very good)
Battery
Active use score 19:20h

Apple iPad mini (2026)

Not listed for this device

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Energy
Class A
Battery
62:00h endurance, 1000 cycles
Free fall
Class B (180 falls)
Repairability
Class C

How the Apple iPad mini (2026) and iPhone 18 Pro Max differ

  • The Apple iPad mini (2026) has the bigger screen, 8.5 inches against 6.9 inches.
  • The main cameras are 12 MP on the Apple iPad mini (2026) and 48 MP on the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
  • The Apple iPad mini (2026) is the newer of the two, released in November 2026.