Apple Launches New iPad Mini With OLED Screen and A20 Pro Chip

Apple has unveiled a new iPad mini with a bigger OLED screen, a faster chip and a thinner body. It also adds water resistance and a new speaker system. Apple calls it the biggest update ever for its smallest tablet.

The new model keeps the compact size that fans like, but brings several major changes. It is just 5.4mm thick, down from 6.3mm on the previous model. It also has an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.

The new iPad mini has an 8.5-inch OLED display, up from 8.3 inches. Apple made the bezels 24% thinner to fit the larger screen without making the tablet bigger.

The screen can reach 1,200 nits of peak brightness. That is more than twice the peak brightness of the previous model. OLED also brings deeper blacks and richer colors. Buyers can also choose a nano-texture screen that cuts glare in bright places.

Apple has fitted the iPad mini with its A20 Pro chip, built using a 2nm process. The company says it delivers up to 60% faster multi-core CPU performance and up to 2.7 times faster graphics than the previous model.

AI tasks should also see a big boost. Apple claims up to 4.5 times faster AI performance, thanks to new Neural Accelerators in the GPU. However, the full 32-core Neural Engine is only available on the 512GB model. The 128GB and 256GB versions have a smaller 16-core Neural Engine.

The front camera is now a 12MP Center Stage camera on the landscape edge. This makes video calls feel more natural when the tablet is held sideways. The rear camera is also 12MP and supports 4K video recording.

Apple has added a new Acoustic Display system for louder sound and deeper bass. The tablet also supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread. Cellular models use Apple’s new C2 modem.

The new iPad mini comes in Midnight and Starlight, with 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of storage. Prices start at $699 for Wi-Fi and $849 for Wi-Fi + Cellular.

Pre-orders open on October 28, and the tablet goes on sale on November 6. Apple has not announced local prices for every market yet.

The new iPad mini looks like a major step forward, especially with its OLED screen. But the higher starting price means buyers should check which model offers the best value for their needs.