Ahead of its big “Pro and tell” event on October 28, Apple has pulled back the curtain on its first product reveal of the week: its next-generation iPad mini.
Apple calls the new iPad mini its “biggest update ever” to the device, and it’s easy to see why. For starters, Apple has increased the screen size to 8.5 inches and upgraded the display from LCD to OLED. That means double the brightness, higher contrast, more vivid colors, and deeper blacks than the previous-gen iPad mini. However, something is still missing: ProMotion, meaning it has only a 60Hz refresh rate.
Under the hood, Apple has also upgraded the iPad mini’s chipset to the A20 Pro. According to the company, the new chip delivers 4.5x faster AI performance than the previous-gen iPad mini with the A17 Pro chip, along with 2.7x faster graphics performance and up to 60 percent faster multithreaded performance, which will help with tasks like editing photos and videos.
Apple has set the new iPad mini’s starting price at $700 for the 128GB model, a $100 increase over the previous-gen iPad mini with the A17 Pro, which started at $600. It’s also available in a 256GB storage variant priced at $800 and a 512GB model at $900. The Wi-Fi + Cellular model starts at $850. It’s available in two colors: Midnight and Starlight.
- Brand
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Apple
- Storage
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128GB, 256GB, 512GB
- CPU
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A20 Pro
- Operating System
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iPadOS 27
The new iPad mini launches November 6
Apple has also updated its design
Pre-orders for the new iPad mini are set to begin on October 28 at 10:10 a.m. PT / 1:10 p.m. ET, with the tablet officially launching on November 6.
Beyond its upgraded OLED display and A20 Pro chipset, Apple has packed in several other upgrades to help the new iPad mini stand out.
Starting with the design, Apple says the new iPad mini is its slimmest and lightest yet, measuring just 5.4 mm thick and weighing 0.56 pounds (255 grams). For comparison, the previous-gen iPad mini measured 6.3 mm thick and weighed 0.65 pounds (293 grams). That means Apple has shaved almost a full millimeter off its thickness while trimming a little weight, too.
Apple has also upgraded the front-facing camera to a 12-megapixel landscape camera, the same change it made to the iPad Air and iPad Pro. However, it doesn’t support Face ID, and Apple is once again relying on Touch ID for the new iPad mini. On the back, it features a 12-megapixel wide camera.
On the connectivity front, the new iPad mini features Apple’s N1 networking chip, bringing support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. The cellular model also includes Apple’s C1X modem for 5G connectivity.
Finally, Apple has equipped the new iPad mini with an Acoustic Display system rather than traditional landscape stereo speakers. According to Apple, the system uses “specially designed woofers” paired through the display to deliver punchier bass and higher volume.
Overall, I’m impressed by the new iPad mini. Its OLED display should make a huge difference for watching videos, playing games, and editing photos, while the A20 Pro chip should make it an extremely fast little tablet. I just really wish Apple had included ProMotion, which would let the display reach a 120Hz refresh rate. For now, that still seems to be something Apple is keeping exclusive to the iPad Pro.
The new iPad mini starts at $700 and launches on November 6, with pre-orders opening this Wednesday, October 28.
