The new iPad mini with OLED display is now official, and here are the new features, key specs, and price details.
Apple Gives iPad mini a Huge Performance Upgrade with A20 Pro, and a Massive Display Upgrade with OLED Technology
The iPad mini 7 has been around for quite a while, and it has been a fan favorite for a ton of reasons. However, one look at the latest iPad mini 8 and all of that goes out the window, because the new model is so, so good.
I’m going to cover the key changes in the new iPad mini, and let’s dive right into it.
8.5-inch OLED Super Retina XDR display
This is the first iPad mini that has an OLED display, and Apple is calling it the Super Retina XDR display. It is 8.5-inches big, has a peak brightness of 1200 nits, has P3 wide color, 2 million to 1 contrast ratio, and goes all the way down to 1 nit of brightness.
The bezels are 24% thinner than before, giving users that iPad Pro vibe. Is that important? Well, it makes the tablet slightly portable, and that’s a great thing.
Apple is selling the iPad mini 8 with optional nano-texture glass, but that option is available with the 256GB and higher storage variants.
Beast Mode Performance
Believe it or not, the iPad mini now has an A20 Pro chip inside it, the same one from the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo. This makes the CPU 60% faster than before, while GPU performance takes a giant leap forward with up to a 2.7x performance improvement.
The built-in Neural Accelerators in the GPU give a huge boost to AI tasks by up to 4.5x. Apple says the 512GB model comes with a dual 16-core Neural Engine, allowing up to twice the peak compute power for on-device AI tasks.
Thinner and Lighter
According to Apple, the new iPad mini is 14% thinner compared to the previous model. If you are looking for a number, the new iPad mini is just 5.4mm thick which is just 0.1mm thicker than the iPad Pro at 5.3mm.
Apple also says that the new iPad mini is 13% lighter than the previous model. Again, if you’re looking for a concrete number, the new iPad mini with Wi-Fi weighs 255 grams, while the cellular model is 263 grams.
IP67 Rating Against Dust and Water
Ever wanted to take your iPad mini to the pool? Now you can do that with full confidence because this model comes with an IP67 rating against dust and water. This means the iPad mini can stay submerged in a meter of water for up to 30 minutes. In other words, a little bit of water splash or rain isn’t going to ruin this iPad mini.
Faster Charging
Fast charging is always nice to have around, and this iPad mini can be charged from zero to 50% in just 30 minutes. But you will need a compatible charging adapter in order to hit those speeds, with Apple suggesting its new (up to) 60W adapter.
N1 and C2 Chips
In order to make sure the new iPad mini maintains a rock-solid wireless connection, the tablet ships with Apple’s N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread support. The C2 modem is included in the cellular model with up to 50% faster data speeds compared to the previous model.
Landscape Camera
Just like other iPad models, the new iPad mini’s front-facing camera is now on the longer bezel.
Acoustic Display for Audio
This iPad mini does not have speaker grilles. Instead, Apple is introducing a new technology called an Acoustic Display, which is basically speakers under the display, strategically placed to create the perfect audio experience and punchier bass.
Price and Availability
The new iPad mini comes in Midnight and Starlight color options, and the price starts from $699 for the Wi-Fi option. The cellular model starts from $849.
This iPad mini comes in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage options.
You can pre-order the new iPad mini on the 28th of October, and it will become available in stores from the 6th of November.
Looking for more details? Head over to Apple’s website.
