Apple's iPad mini gets OLED and IP67 as iPhone Duo goes on sale

Apple dominates a thin week: a rebuilt iPad mini and the first shop-floor days of its foldable iPhone. Samsung, meanwhile, reported a sales figure for its own foldables in Europe. Neither maker gave a European price this week.

iPhone Duo reaches the shops

Apple’s first foldable iPhone went on sale on Friday 23 October in more than 70 countries and regions, among them the UK, France and Germany. Another 28 countries and regions follow on 30 October. Apple says the inner display is 50 percent larger than that of the iPhone 18 Pro Max and that the A20 Pro chip with a custom vapor chamber gives up to 35 percent better sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro. Split View lets two apps run side by side on an iPhone for the first time, according to Apple. The starting price is $1,999 in the US; Apple has not given European pricing in these releases. For that money the open question is how many apps use the extra space well, and Apple itself says more app updates will roll out throughout the year.

Source: Apple, Apple Store launch

We favour

iPad mini gets an OLED screen and water resistance

Apple has rebuilt the iPad mini around an 8.5-inch OLED display with up to 1200 nits of peak brightness, which Apple says is more than 2x the previous generation. The body keeps the footprint of the previous mini thanks to 24 percent thinner bezels, measures 5.4 mm and now carries an IP67 rating. Inside sits the A20 Pro; Apple claims up to 4.5x faster AI performance than the previous generation. The new N1 chip brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Pre-orders start on 28 October in 36 countries and regions, with deliveries from 6 November. US prices start at $699 for the Wi-Fi model and $849 with cellular; Apple has not given European pricing. Apple also says Siri AI is not currently available in the EU on iPadOS.

Source: Apple

Why we favour it: Apple lists an OLED panel, an IP67 rating and 1200 nits of peak brightness, more than 2x the previous generation according to Apple, on a tablet that keeps the old mini’s footprint. The caveats are the missing European price and the EU gap for Siri AI, but as a hardware step this is the biggest of the week.

Samsung says Fold8 sales in Europe are up 45%

Samsung says the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra together saw a 45% increase in sales across Europe in the nine weeks after their launch on 7 August 2026, compared with the Galaxy Z Fold7 in the equivalent weeks a year earlier. Samsung gives no unit numbers, so the percentage says little about the size of the market.

Source: Samsung UK