Apple's New iPad mini Brings OLED, A20 Pro, and Water Resistance

Apple on Monday announced a redesigned iPad mini with an 8.5 inch OLED display, the A20 Pro chip, and an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance, the first iPad to carry one.

The new model starts at $699 in the U.S. for the WiFi version and $849 with cellular.

Preorders open Wednesday, October 28, with availability beginning Friday, November 6, in 36 countries and regions.

Pricing Compared to the Previous Generation

The new iPad mini costs $100 more than the outgoing model did yesterday, and $200 more than that model's launch price.

WiFi model

• A17 Pro model at launch (October 2024): $499 with 128GB of storage
• A17 Pro model after the June 25 increase: $599
• New A20 Pro model: $699 with 128GB of storage ($649 with education pricing)

Cellular model

• A17 Pro model at launch: $649
• A17 Pro model after the June 25 increase: $749
• New A20 Pro model: $849

The new model is still offered in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB configurations. Apple has only published starting prices so far.

The final price lands below what had been expected. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported earlier this month that the OLED iPad mini could start at close to $799, which would have put it above the $749 iPad Air. At $699, the iPad mini remains $50 cheaper than the iPad Air.

OLED Display

The iPad mini moves from an 8.3 inch LCD to an 8.5 inch Super Retina XDR OLED panel. Apple says the larger screen fits in the same footprint as before because the bezels are 24 percent thinner.

• Peak brightness: 1,200 nits, more than double the previous model
• Full screen brightness: 600 nits for SDR and HDR content
• Minimum brightness: 1 nit
• Contrast ratio: 2,000,000:1
• Color: P3 wide color
• Nano texture glass: optional, a first for the iPad mini

Apple did not mention ProMotion or a refresh rate in its announcement. Earlier reports had indicated the display would remain at 60Hz.

Design

The new iPad mini measures 5.4mm thick, down from 6.3mm on the A17 Pro model. Apple describes it as lighter as well, but has not yet listed a weight.

It is available in two colors, midnight and starlight, down from four on the previous model.

The IP67 rating covers submersion to a maximum depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. Apple notes that resistance can decline with normal wear and that liquid damage is not covered under warranty.

A20 Pro Chip

The iPad mini uses the A20 Pro, the same chip family that debuted in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo, built on a 2 nanometer process. Apple's performance claims, compared with the A17 Pro model:

• Up to 4.5x faster AI performance
• Up to 2.7x faster graphics
• Up to 60 percent faster multithreaded CPU performance
• More than 2x the unified memory bandwidth

The chip has up to a 6 core CPU and a 7 core GPU with Neural Accelerators in each GPU core. Apple says the 512GB configuration gets a Dual 16 core Neural Engine with double the processing power of the previous generation. It is not yet clear what Neural Engine or CPU core count the 128GB and 256GB models use.

Apple did not disclose how much memory the new model has. The A17 Pro model shipped with 8GB, and 9to5Mac previously reported that the new model would move to 12GB.

Cameras and Audio

The 12MP Center Stage front camera now sits on the landscape edge, which Apple says is better suited to video calls. The 12MP Wide rear camera records 4K video at up to 60 fps and gains an Adaptive True Tone flash.

A new Acoustic Display uses woofers that play through the screen itself, with tweeters placed between the glass and the aluminum enclosure. Apple says the sealed design is part of what allows the IP67 rating.

Connectivity

• N1 wireless chip: WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread
• C2 modem (cellular models): up to 50 percent faster cellular data than the previous model, with eSIM support
• Charging: fast charge support, though Apple has not specified wattage or timing
• External displays: extended display mode arrives with iPadOS 27.2

Accessories

A new Smart Folio uses a two panel design and TechWoven fabric in navy blue and taupe, priced at $79. The iPad mini continues to support Apple Pencil Pro ($129) and Apple Pencil (USB C) ($79).

Software

The iPad mini ships with iPadOS 27. Siri AI is available in beta in iPadOS 27.2 on supported languages, and Apple says the iPad mini can run its most advanced on device model for Siri voices and dictation. As with other devices, Siri AI is not currently available in the EU, and some server side Apple Intelligence features are subject to daily usage limits, with expanded access to be offered for a fee in the future.

Background

The previous iPad mini launched in October 2024 with the A17 Pro chip and was the oldest device in Apple's iPad lineup heading into this announcement. Leaked code in September revealed the A20 Pro chip, landscape camera, and new speaker system ahead of Monday's launch.