Apple announced the new iPad mini on Monday, calling it the biggest update in the line's history. It brings an 8.5-inch OLED display, the A20 Pro chip, a 5.4 mm body, and an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance. It starts at $699 in the US and 16,999 pesos in Mexico. Pre-orders open Wednesday, October 28, and it reaches stores Friday, November 6.
The details
- Display: OLED (each pixel makes its own light, so blacks are truly black), 8.5 inches, 2316 x 1512 pixels at 326 ppi. It hits 600 nits in normal use and peaks at 1,200 nits for HDR; Apple says that peak is more than double the previous iPad mini's. Bezels are 24% thinner, and a glare-cutting nano-texture glass option is available on the 256GB and 512GB models.
- A20 Pro chip: built on a 2-nanometer process. Apple promises up to 60% faster multithreaded performance from its up-to-6-core CPU and up to 2.7x faster graphics, without saying what it's comparing against, plus up to 4.5x faster AI performance than the previous generation. Read the fine print on the tech specs page, though: the 128GB and 256GB models get a 5-core CPU and a 16-core Neural Engine; only the 512GB model gets the 6-core CPU and dual Neural Engines.
- Design: 5.4 mm thin and 255 grams (263 for cellular), in midnight and starlight. IP67 means it's dust-tight and can survive a brief dunk in water.
- Connectivity: an N1 chip handles Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Cellular models use Apple's C2 modem, which Apple says delivers up to 50% faster data speeds, and they're eSIM-only (a digital SIM, no physical tray). The USB-C port supports up to 10Gb/s.
- Cameras and audio: a 12MP Center Stage front camera, now on the landscape edge, and a 12MP rear camera that shoots 4K video at 60 fps. The speakers were redesigned with new woofers and tweeters.
- Software: it ships with iPadOS 27. iPadOS 27.2 adds extended display mode for external monitors and Siri AI in beta, in English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. Apple notes it isn't currently available in the EU.
- Accessories: in the US, the TechWoven Smart Folio costs $79, Apple Pencil Pro $129, and Apple Pencil (USB-C) $79.
The spec Apple won't print: refresh rate
Neither the press release nor the tech specs say how many times per second the iPad mini's display refreshes, and neither mentions ProMotion, Apple's tech that adjusts that rate to match what's on screen. The iPad Pro specs, by contrast, do list it, with adaptive refresh rates from 10Hz to 120Hz. is treating the iPad mini as a 60Hz device. Apple hasn't confirmed it, but the silence on its spec sheet points that way.
