iPadOS 26 has turned the iPad Mini into a powerhouse

The iPad Mini has always had a special place in my heart. I think it’s one of Apple’s most underrated devices. Its size, form factor, raw power, and portability really make it the truest form of an iPad. Now we throw iPadOS 26 in the mix, and I think you might have the perfect portable powerhouse computer. Between the new windowing system, enhanced file management, and multitasking upgrades, I think the iPad Mini is the ideal modern-day netbook. Here’s why.

iPad mini specs

Before we jump into this, I want to bring up the specs. This really shows you just how well equipped this iPad is to run something like iPadOS 26. Right now, the iPad Mini is on sale for $399 on Amazon, which blows my mind. For that price, you get:

• 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display with True Tone and wide color
• A17 Pro chip — same chip used in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
• Up to 512GB storage
• Apple Pencil Pro support
• Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.3
• Runs iPadOS 26 with Apple Intelligence

These are pretty much flagship specs from less than 2 years ago. So its built to run something like this new windowing system and be able to multitask. Also, with the news that Apple might be releasing a new MacBook with an A-series chip, it shows just how powerful these things are.

iPadOS 26 on iPad mini

The best thing about iPadOS 26 is how many of these new amazing features are available on all iPads. Most, including myself, assumed that this new windowing system was only available on M-series iPads like the iPad Pro and iPad Air. However, the reality is that every iPad that supports iPadOS 26 will get these impressive new features. So the iPad mini will get features like:

• Resizable window and snap layouts: Drag apps into floating, side-by-side, or even quad-view layouts. True multitasking is here.
• Mac-style menu/taskbar: Desktop-like menus (File, Edit, View) hover over windowed apps, giving users a much more familiar interaction method than macOS.
• Files App revamp: Full folder customization, folder tagging, files in the dock, and seamless external drive support close the gap with macOS.

Now, I know most people are going to argue that, while the new windowing features are nice, the iPad Mini display is just too small to have so much going on. I would mostly agree. If you go with more than just 2 apps side by side, it could get a bit cluttered. But I would also argue it will be nice to have apps in the background for passive tasks as well. But the true productivity comes from creating a little set up with some additional accessories.

iPad mini productivity setup with iPadOS 26

As I stated, it would be tough to really go all in with the small 8.3-inch display. But there are two setups I recommend for being productive on the iPad Mini.

Netbook style setup

In the early and mid-2000s, there was a huge wave of the netbook. They were lower-powered and smaller (usually) laptops that were meant to go with you. These netbooks also had a cellular data connection. These laptops were really made to be communication machines. It was for those times when your BlackBerry was too small to get some emailing done, but your actual laptop was too big and bulky to carry. So companies made these small laptops that were 9in to 14in in size where portability and connectivity was the selling point.

This is where the new iPadOS 26 iPad mini could come in and recreate this market. All you need to do is get a Bluetooth keyboard from Amazon. I recommend this one by Arteck because it makes it feel like a mini laptop. You could also just get a Bluetooth keyboard and stand for under $30. Bring this to an office or coffee shop with your new windowing mode and you will have an emailing beast.

Desk setup

Now this one is a bit more involved, but in theory it can be a plug-and-play computer. If you have a desk setup with a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse, then you can literally turn your iPad Mini into a computer. The one limitation is that there is no extended monitor support. So you would be mirroring your display. It will usually have those black side bars, but the display will still be much larger. iPadOS 26 also scales wonderfully on larger displays. So you could use your iPad Mini as a true macOS replacement and connect to an external display via the USB-C port and start getting to work. It’s kind of amazing.

Final thoughts

So the verdict here is that the iPad Mini, combined with the new iPadOS 26 update, completely changes what it can do. It has made the iPad Mini even more versatile than it already was. It can still be a traditional iPad, but now it can also be a productivity beast when you need it to be.

Again, it’s insane that Amazon has it for $399 for the base model and $549 for the cellular data model. Pair that with the $40 keyboard case, and I think this would be the ultimate companion to a macOS desktop.

So what do you think? Are you sold on iPadOS 26? Have you tried the beta? Would you use. the iPad mini as a main computer? Or as a middle device between your iPhone and Mac? Let’s discuss!