Apple has announced a new iPad mini with an 8.5-inch OLED display, an A20 Pro chip and water and dust resistance. The tablet is thinner than before, but keeps the same overall footprint, with Apple using slimmer bezels to fit the larger screen.
It also runs iPadOS 27 and comes in midnight and starlight colours and in Singapore, it starts at S$999 for the Wi-Fi model.
What’s new: specs and design
But what else is new?
The most obvious change is the 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, which is larger than before even though the iPad mini keeps the same overall footprint. Apple has done this by making the bezels 24% thinner; the screen also has a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and peak brightness of up to 1,200 nits, more than twice that of the previous model. A nano-texture option is available to reduce glare, which should be useful if you often use the tablet outdoors.
Apple has not given the new iPad mini’s weight, but it is just 5.4mm thick. It also has an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance, which is a useful addition for a tablet designed to be carried around. The front-facing 12-megapixel Center Stage camera has moved to the landscape edge, while the 12-megapixel rear camera gets an Adaptive True Tone flash and can record 4K video at up to 60 frames per second.
The display and design changes are backed by the A20 Pro chip (also used in the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro series), with a six-core CPU and seven-core GPU, and Apple says it delivers “up to 60% faster multithreaded CPU performance” and “up to 2.7 times faster graphics” the previous iPad mini. The top-end 512GB model also has a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, which Apple says doubles the processing power of the previous generation’s Neural Engine. The update extends to connectivity, too: the N1 chip brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, while cellular models use the C2 modem, which Apple claims “can deliver up to 50% faster data speeds”. There is also an Acoustic Display, which uses woofers and tweeters to improve audio, and support for fast charging.
New accessories
Unsurprisingly, the new iPad mini works with both Apple Pencil (USB-C) and Apple Pencil Pro. The latter supports features such as squeeze and barrel roll, as well as Apple’s Find My feature.
Apple is also introducing a TechWoven Smart Folio with a two-panel design and adjustable viewing angles. It attaches magnetically and comes in navy blue and taupe.
Availability and pricing
Pre-orders for the new iPad mini begin on 29 October at Apple’s website (click here) and through the Apple Store app. The tablet will be available from 6 November at Apple Stores and authorised resellers.
It comes in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB configurations. The Wi-Fi model starts at $999, while the Wi-Fi + Cellular model starts at $1,229. Education pricing starts at $929. Meanwhile, the TechWoven Smart Folio costs $119.