Apple Just Gave the iPad mini Its ‘Biggest Update Ever’
Apple has unveiled the all-new iPad mini, which the company hails as the tiny tablet’s “biggest update ever.
The redesigned iPad mini brings a wide range of updates and improvements over its predecessor, the A17 Pro-powered model released in late 2024. Beyond moving to the latest A20 Pro chipset that powers Apple’s flagship iPhone 18 Pro models and the brand-new folding Duo, the new iPad mini gets dust- and water-resistance, a thinner, lighter design, and a larger 8.5-inch OLED display, now available with a nano-texture option. That’s a lot of significant changes.
First, the bigger, brighter OLED panel. The most recent iPad mini model sports an 8.3-inch 2266 x 1488 Liquid Retina LCD. The new 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR display not only moves to OLED, which means inky blacks, but it is twice as bright as before. In contrast, its predecessor topped out at 600 nits, the new iPad mini peaks at 1,200 nits, promising better outdoor performance and improved HDR content. The new screen also has a 1-nit minimum brightness. On the 256GB and 512GB models, users can also upgrade to a nano-texture display to reduce glare and reflections.
The display has non-display features, too. The new iPad mini incorporates what Apple calls an “Acoustic Display.” Specially designed woofers behind the display promise punchier bass and higher peak volume. New custom tweeters tucked between the glass and aluminum enclosure promise “clearer highs.”
The 12MP Center Stage camera has moved from portrait to landscape, meaning it is now on the tablet’s longer edge. There’s also a 12-megapixel rear camera that captures Smart HDR 4 photos and 4Kp60 video. It also has a new Adaptive True Tone flash. Apple says the new Adaptive True Tone flash improves not only photos but also document-scanning performance.
The thinner new iPad mini has roughly the same footprint as before, 195.3 x 132.6 millimeters (7.69 x 5.22 inches), but is a fair bit thinner. The new iPad mini is only 5.4 millimeters (0.21 inches) thick, down from 6.3 millimeters (0.25 inches). It also has 24% thinner bezels, which explains the bigger screen without a bigger chassis. It’s about an ounce lighter, too, weighing 263 grams (0.58 pounds) versus 297 grams (0.66 pounds).
The redesigned iPad mini has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. The previous-gen iPad mini has no official IP rating.
As expected, the move to the A20 Pro means superior performance. Apple describes the performance bump as a “giant leap,” citing up to 4.5x faster AI performance, tech companies’ favorite benchmark these days. The A20 Pro promises up to 2.7x better graphics performance and 60% faster multithreaded CPU performance.
The 512GB configuration has some more tricks up its sleeve. That model includes a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, doubling the processing power of the previous-generation iPad mini. A20 Pro also offers double the unified memory bandwidth.
The new tablet also has N1, Apple’s own wireless networking chip. This enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Apple promises better network performance and improved AirDrop and AirPlay. Cellular-equipped models also include Apple’s new C2 cellular modem.
iPad mini supports Apple Pencil (USB-C) and Apple Pencil Pro.
“iPad mini is beloved for its fantastic portability, performance, and display by a wide range of users, from creators and small business owners to doctors, field service workers, and gamers,” says Dave Pakula, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering.
“With a remarkably thinner and lighter design, a stunning new OLED display, the incredibly powerful A20 Pro, and water and dust resistance, the new iPad mini is a huge leap forward for users who love having the full iPad experience in the palm of their hand,” Pakula continues.
Pricing and Availability
The new, redesigned iPad mini will be available to preorder starting at 1:10 PM ET (10:10 AM PT) on October 28. It will begin shipping on November 6. It comes in a new starlight colorway alongside a darker midnight.
The 128GB model with Wi-Fi starts at $699, with the 256GB and 512GB versions priced at $799 and $999. The nano-texture option is available only on the two larger-capacity tablets and adds $100 to the price. Cellular configurations are an extra $150.
Image creditsApple
