Apple iPad Mini with OLED screen and a20 processor

Apple is giving the iPad mini its most substantial redesign in years, pairing a larger 8.5-inch OLED screen with the company’s new A20 Pro chip, a thinner body, and IP67 water and dust resistance. The upgrade arrives with a noticeably higher entry price: the new iPad mini starts at $699 for Wi-Fi, while the cellular version begins at $849.

The new model keeps the mini’s familiar footprint while making better use of its front panel. Apple says slimmer bezels allow the display to grow from the previous generation’s 8.3 inches to 8.5 inches without making the tablet larger. Its Super Retina XDR OLED panel brings pixel-level lighting control, deeper blacks, P3 wide color, and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Peak brightness reaches 1,200 nits, while an optional nano-texture finish is designed to reduce reflections in bright environments.

Performance is handled by A20 Pro, built on Apple’s latest 2-nanometer process and equipped with up to a six-core CPU and seven-core GPU. Apple claims up to 60 percent faster multithreaded performance, 2.7 times faster graphics, and as much as 4.5 times the previous generation’s AI performance. Those gains are aimed not only at demanding creative apps but also at games, 3D workloads, and on-device language models.

The tablet also picks up several practical hardware changes. It is 5.4 millimeters thick, comes in midnight and starlight, and offers 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage options. A sealed Acoustic Display speaker system helps enable the IP67 rating, meaning the mini can withstand dust and controlled water exposure, though Apple warns that resistance can diminish with ordinary wear.

Wireless connectivity gets a generational refresh as well. Apple’s N1 chip supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, while cellular configurations use the C2 modem system and support eSIM. The landscape-edge 12MP Center Stage camera is intended to make video calls more natural, and the rear 12MP camera can record 4K video at up to 60 frames per second.

Preorders open Wednesday, October 28, through Apple’s website and Apple Store app in 36 countries and regions, with retail availability and deliveries beginning Friday, November 6. The price increase makes this a more premium proposition than the previous mini, but the combination of OLED contrast, stronger gaming hardware, and a genuinely pocketable design gives Apple’s smallest tablet a clearer high-end identity. Independent coverage likewise identifies the OLED panel, A20 Pro chip, and $699 U.S. starting price as the centerpiece of the refresh.