Apple’s New iPad Mini Adds OLED, A20 Pro, and IP67 Water Resistance

Apple has announced a redesigned iPad mini, bringing an OLED display, a thinner and lighter body, and a substantial performance upgrade to its smallest tablet. The new model features an 8.5-inch display, Apple’s A20 Pro chip, faster wireless connectivity, and IP67-rated water and dust resistance.

“iPad mini is beloved for its fantastic portability, performance, and display by a wide range of users, from creators and small business owners to doctors, field service workers, and gamers,” said Dave Pakula, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering. “With a remarkably thinner and lighter design, a stunning new OLED display, the incredibly powerful A20 Pro, and water and dust resistance, the new iPad mini is a huge leap forward for users who love having the full iPad experience in the palm of their hand.”

An 8.5-Inch OLED Display in a Thinner Design

The new iPad mini features an 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display while maintaining the previous generation’s overall footprint. Apple says the bezels are 24% thinner, allowing the tablet to accommodate the larger screen without increasing its external dimensions.

The OLED panel provides pixel-level lighting control for deeper blacks and supports the P3 wide color gamut. Peak brightness reaches 1,200 nits, more than twice that of the previous generation, while minimum brightness can drop to just 1 nit for comfortable viewing in dim environments. The display also offers up to 600 nits of full-screen brightness for SDR and HDR content and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

Apple is also offering an optional nano-texture display designed to reduce glare in bright environments. The feature could be particularly useful for photographers and other creatives editing images outdoors, as well as professionals working in the field.

The redesigned tablet measures just 5.4mm thick and is available in Midnight and Starlight finishes. It also carries an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.

A20 Pro Brings Faster Performance and On-Device AI

The iPad mini is powered by Apple’s A20 Pro chip, built using a 2-nanometer manufacturing process. The processor brings upgrades to graphics performance, everyday computing, and AI-intensive workloads.

Its 7-core GPU includes Neural Accelerators in every core. Apple claims this delivers up to 4.5 times faster AI performance than the previous-generation iPad mini. The GPU also supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, with graphics performance reaching up to 2.7 times that of the previous model, according to Apple.

The chip’s CPU has up to six cores and delivers up to 60% faster multithreaded performance, which should benefit tasks such as photo editing and working across multiple apps.

The 512GB configuration features a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, providing double the processing power of the previous generation for supported AI workloads. Apple also claims more than twice the unified memory bandwidth, helping improve responsiveness in graphics-heavy applications and on-device AI tasks.

Improved Cameras and Audio

Although the iPad mini is primarily a tablet rather than a dedicated photography device, Apple has updated its video-calling and imaging features.

The rear camera is a 12-megapixel Wide camera that supports Smart HDR 4 and 4K video recording at up to 60 frames per second. An Adaptive True Tone flash is designed to improve photography and document scanning.

The 12-megapixel Center Stage front camera has been repositioned to the landscape edge, making it better suited to video calls and conference meetings when the tablet is held horizontally.

Apple has also introduced an Acoustic Display system. Specially designed woofers work through the display to produce deeper bass and greater volume, while custom tweeters positioned between the glass and aluminum enclosure deliver clearer high frequencies. The sealed enclosure also helps the tablet achieve its IP67 rating.

Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Faster Cellular Connectivity

The new iPad mini incorporates Apple’s N1 wireless networking chip, enabling Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity. Apple says the chip also improves performance on 5GHz Wi-Fi networks and the reliability of features such as AirDrop and AirPlay.

Cellular versions use Apple’s C2 modem, which the company says delivers up to 50% faster cellular data speeds than the previous-generation iPad mini while improving power efficiency. The models also support eSIM for adding and transferring cellular plans digitally.

iPadOS 27 and Apple Intelligence

The new iPad mini runs iPadOS 27, bringing the next generation of Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features. Apple says the updated Siri can draw on personal context, understand what’s on the screen, and answer questions across a broad range of topics.

The software also supports more expressive Siri voices and improved systemwide dictation. The updated Liquid Glass interface offers additional personalization options through a new slider in Settings.

The tablet is compatible with Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), giving users options for drawing, note-taking, and other creative tasks.

Pricing and Availability

The new iPad mini starts at $699 for the Wi-Fi model and $849 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model in the U.S. Storage options include 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB, with Midnight and Starlight finishes available.

Preorders begin October 28, 2026, with availability starting November 6. The new model represents a substantial upgrade to the iPad mini lineup, combining a larger OLED display and faster hardware with a thinner design and improved durability.