Apple unveiled an iPad mini today with an 8.5-inch OLED screen, an A20 Pro chip and IP67 protection against dust and water. Preorders begin Wednesday, October 28, and availability is scheduled for Friday, November 6. The tablet measures 5.4 mm thick and comes in midnight or starlight.
The larger screen fits within the previous model’s footprint, with bezels reduced by 24 percent. Apple rates peak brightness at up to 1200 nits, more than twice the previous generation’s level, while full-screen brightness reaches 600 nits for both HDR and SDR material. Buyers can also choose a nano-texture screen treatment intended to reduce glare, and the display can dim to 1 nit.
Read more: Apple Introduces HomeView With 7-Inch Display and Siri AI
Apple says A20 Pro delivers AI performance up to 4.5 times as fast as its predecessor, graphics up to 2.7 times as fast and multithreaded CPU performance up to 60 percent faster. The chip uses a 2-nanometer manufacturing process and includes a seven-core GPU, with Neural Accelerators built into every GPU core. The Dual 16-core Neural Engine is specified for the 512GB configuration.
For video calls, Apple has moved the 12MP Center Stage camera to the tablet’s landscape edge. The rear 12MP Wide camera records 4K footage at up to 60 fps, while an Adaptive True Tone flash is intended to improve photos and document scans. Apple’s Acoustic Display couples woofers through the screen and places tweeters between the glass and aluminum housing, changes the company says improve bass, volume and high frequencies.
Wireless upgrades include Apple’s N1 chip, which supports Bluetooth 6, Thread and Wi-Fi 7. Cellular versions use the C2 modem, which Apple says can deliver data speeds up to 50 percent faster than the previous iPad mini. The tablet also gains support for fast charging.
The tablet runs iPadOS 27, with Siri AI rolling out as a beta that Apple says can use personal information and screen content to help answer requests. Safari’s Notify Me feature lets users track changes to pages, including restocks and price reductions. Support for extending the workspace onto an external screen is scheduled for iPadOS 27.2.
