Apple has announced a major redesign of the iPad mini, bringing an OLED display, its A20 Pro chip and water and dust resistance to the compact tablet.
According to the company’s announcement dated 26 October, the new model measures 5.4mm thick and features a larger screen while retaining the previous generation’s footprint. Pre-orders open on 28 October, with availability in participating markets beginning on 6 November.
A bigger screen in a compact body
The centrepiece of the update is an 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, housed within bezels that Apple says are 24% thinner than those of the previous model.
The screen offers deeper blacks, a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and peak brightness of up to 1,200 nits. Full-screen brightness reaches 600 nits for both SDR and HDR content, while a minimum brightness of one nit is intended to make viewing more comfortable in dark environments.
Apple is also introducing a nano-texture display option to reduce glare, potentially useful for people editing images, reading or working outdoors.
Available in midnight and starlight, the tablet carries an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance. That rating covers controlled laboratory testing at a maximum depth of one metre for up to 30 minutes; Apple notes that resistance can diminish with wear.
A20 Pro brings a focus on AI and gaming
The new iPad mini runs on Apple’s A20 Pro chip, built using a 2-nanometre manufacturing process.
Apple claims up to 4.5 times faster AI performance, up to 2.7 times faster graphics performance and up to 60% faster multithreaded CPU performance compared with the previous generation.
Its seven-core GPU includes Neural Accelerators, alongside hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading. These capabilities are aimed at workloads such as gaming, 3D rendering and running AI models directly on the device.
The 512GB configuration also features a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, providing 32 cores for supported AI tasks.
New audio system and a landscape camera
Apple has introduced what it calls an “Acoustic Display”, pairing specially designed woofers through the display to deliver stronger bass and higher volume. Tweeters sit between the glass and aluminium enclosure, with the sealed design also contributing to the tablet’s water and dust resistance.
The 12MP Center Stage front camera has moved to the landscape edge, positioning it for video calls when the tablet is used horizontally.
On the back, a 12MP Wide camera supports Smart HDR 4 and 4K video recording at up to 60 frames per second. An Adaptive True Tone flash is intended to improve photography and document scanning.
Faster connectivity and expanded multitasking
Apple’s N1 wireless chip brings support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread. Cellular models use the company’s C2 modem, which Apple says enables up to 50% faster cellular data speeds than the previous iPad mini.
The tablet runs iPadOS 27, including updated Liquid Glass appearance controls. Extended display mode is scheduled to arrive with iPadOS 27.2, allowing users to work with windowed apps on a connected external screen.
Both Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C) are supported, while a new TechWoven Smart Folio offers adjustable viewing angles. Accessories are sold separately.
Pricing and availability
The new iPad mini will be offered in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage configurations. US pricing starts at $699 for the Wi-Fi model and $849 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
Initial pre-orders cover 36 countries and regions, including the United States, ahead of the 6 November release.
South African pricing and availability were not specified in the supplied announcement.
