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Apple announced a new iPad mini on October 26 with an 8.5-inch OLED display, an A20 Pro chip and a 5.4 mm body. Pre-orders open on Wednesday, October 28, with deliveries and store availability starting November 6, and prices begin at $699 for the Wi-Fi model, according to The Verge and TechCrunch.
Key facts
- Display: 8.5-inch OLED, up from 8.3 inches, with 24% thinner bezels and up to 1,200 nits peak brightness. It appears to remain 60Hz, with no ProMotion listed.
- Chip: A20 Pro. The 128GB and 256GB models get a 5-core CPU and one 16-core Neural Engine; the 512GB model gets a 6-core CPU and a dual Neural Engine.
- Design: 5.4 mm thick versus 6.3 mm before, IP67 rated, in Midnight and Starlight.
- Price: $699 for Wi-Fi and $849 with cellular. Per Macworld, 256GB costs $799 and 512GB costs $999.
- Options: A nano-texture glass option adds $100 on the 256GB and 512GB models.
What changed
Apple calls this the biggest update ever to the iPad mini. MacRumors reports that the new Acoustic Display delivers audio from behind the screen, so the device no longer has speaker holes. That sealed design helps it reach IP67, a first for the iPad mini. Apple describes woofers paired through the display and tweeters hidden between the glass and aluminum enclosure.
The front camera is still 12MP, but it moves to the landscape edge for video calls. The rear camera stays a 12MP Wide unit. Apple's N1 chip brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and cellular models use the C2 modem. MacRumors adds that fast charging reaches 50% in 30 minutes with a 35W or higher adapter.
On performance, MacRumors cites Apple claims of up to 60% faster CPU, 2.7x faster graphics and 4.5x faster AI performance than the A17 Pro in the previous model. Macworld reports RAM rises to 12GB from 8GB.
The chip split and the missing 120Hz
The A20 Pro is not identical across configurations. GSMArena notes that the lower-storage models use a binned chip with one fewer efficiency core and half the NPU power, while the rest of the specs match. Buyers who care about on-device AI work may weigh that when choosing storage.
The display also stops short of the iPad Pro. Macworld says the mini uses a single-stack LTPS OLED panel rather than the tandem OLED and LTPO technology in the Pro, which keeps costs lower but caps brightness at 1,200 nits versus 1,600 and rules out 120Hz.
Price and what to watch
Price is the other notable change. MacRumors reports the 2024 model launched at $499 and Apple raised it to $599 in June, so the new $699 starting price is the second increase this year. Macworld lists cellular as a $150 add-on in the US and UK, while The Verge and TechCrunch put the gap at $150 between $699 and $849.
Watch for the "Pro and Tell" event on Wednesday, October 28, where The Verge says other Apple hardware may follow. Independent reviews will show whether the OLED panel, speaker design and binned chips justify the higher price.
