Apple calls this the biggest update the iPad mini has ever had. For once the marketing line holds up. The small tablet gets a new screen technology, a new chip generation, water resistance and a thinner body, all in the same footprint as the model it replaces.
The mini has always been the odd one in the lineup. Pilots strap it to their knees, doctors carry it in coat pockets, readers use it as a big e-reader that also runs real apps. It usually trailed the rest of the iPad family by a generation or two. This time it skips ahead.
The screen is the headline
The display grows to 8.5 inches and switches to Super Retina XDR OLED. Bezels are 24% thinner, which is how Apple fits the larger panel without making the device bigger. Peak brightness reaches 1200 nits, more than double the old model, with 600 nits for full-screen SDR and HDR. Contrast is rated at 2,000,000 to 1, and the panel can dim down to 1 nit for reading in bed. A nano-texture glass option cuts glare.
OLED on a small tablet matters more than on a big one. People hold the mini close, read on it for hours and use it outdoors. Deep blacks and low minimum brightness are exactly what that use pattern rewards.
A 2nm chip in a 5.4 mm body
Inside is the A20 Pro, built on a 2nm process. Apple quotes up to 60% faster multithreaded CPU performance, graphics up to 2.7 times faster and AI work up to 4.5 times faster than the previous generation. The 7-core GPU puts a Neural Accelerator in each core, and memory bandwidth more than doubles. The 512GB model gets a dual 16-core Neural Engine.
The whole thing is 5.4 mm thick and rated IP67, tested to 1 metre for up to 30 minutes. That is a first for the mini and a practical one for a device that lives in bags, cockpits and kitchens.
Cameras, sound and radios
The 12MP front camera moves to the landscape edge with Center Stage, so video calls finally look right when the tablet sits sideways. The rear 12MP Wide camera shoots 4K at up to 60 fps. Apple also added what it calls an Acoustic Display, with woofers driven through the screen and tweeters hidden under the glass.
Apple’s own N1 chip handles Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread. Cellular models use the C2 modem, which Apple says is up to 50% faster than the previous generation. Apple has not published battery capacity or battery life figures.
Price and availability
The Wi-Fi model starts at $699 with 128GB, and Wi-Fi plus Cellular starts at $849. Storage options are 128GB, 256GB and 512GB, in midnight or starlight. Pre-orders open Wednesday, October 28, and the tablet reaches customers and stores on Friday, November 6, in 36 countries and regions.
The new Smart Folio costs $79. The mini works with Apple Pencil Pro at $129 and Apple Pencil (USB-C) at $79.
It ships with iPadOS 27, including the new Image Playground app, upgraded Clean Up and photo tools, and a Siri AI beta arriving in iPadOS 27.2 in six languages. That Siri beta will not be offered in the EU at launch.
Who should care
The last mini, covered here in our A17 Pro launch story, was a spec refresh. This one changes what the device is. A water-resistant OLED tablet that fits in a jacket pocket and runs the same chip class as Apple’s flagship phones has no direct rival at this size.
The $699 starting price is the catch. The mini used to be the cheap way into a decent iPad. Now it is a premium small device, and Apple is betting its loyal niche will pay for that.