The iPad mini has spent most of its life as the iPad Apple forgets to update. Not this time. The new model, available to pre-order now and shipping November 6, changes almost everything — except one thing a lot of buyers wanted.
What's new
- 8.5-inch OLED display (up from 8.3 inches LCD, thanks to 24% thinner bezels): 1,200 nits peak, 600 nits full-screen, down to 1 nit for night reading. Nano-texture glass is optional.
- IP67 water and dust resistance — the first water-resistant iPad, rated for 1 metre for 30 minutes.
- A20 Pro on a 2nm process, with Neural Accelerators in each GPU core. Apple claims up to 4.5x the AI performance, 2.7x the graphics and up to 60% faster multithreaded CPU versus the previous mini.
- Thinner and lighter: 5.4mm, about 14% thinner and 13% lighter.
- "Acoustic Display" speakers that vibrate the screen itself, with tweeters between the glass and the aluminium case.
- Landscape front camera (12MP Center Stage) for video calls held sideways; 12MP rear camera shooting 4K60.
- N1 wireless chip (Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread); cellular models use Apple's C2 modem.
The catches
1. It costs more. The mini now starts at $699 (Wi-Fi) and $849 (cellular) — $100 more than before, after the second price increase this year. Fully configured, it reaches about $1,249.
2. Still no ProMotion. The OLED panel runs at 60Hz. On a device this good for reading and browsing, the lack of 120Hz scrolling will be the most common complaint.
3. The best chip is reserved for 512GB. The 128GB and 256GB models get a five-core CPU. Only the 512GB model gets the six-core CPU and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. If on-device AI performance matters to you, the cheapest way to get the full chip is the most expensive storage tier.
4. Fast charging needs a separate 35W adapter. It isn't in the box.
5. Siri AI isn't available in the EU at launch (beta from iPadOS 27.2 elsewhere).
Should you upgrade?
| Your situation | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Using an iPad mini 5 or older | Yes. Everything is better, and water resistance is genuinely new |
| Using the previous (A17 Pro) mini | Only if you read in bed a lot (OLED blacks + 1-nit floor) or want IP67 |
| Want the mini for gaming or local AI | Consider the 512GB model for the six-core chip |
| Price-sensitive | Look for discounted previous-gen stock — it's still a capable tablet |
Apple's performance figures are its own claims; independent benchmarks will follow once units ship on November 6. We'll update this piece with test results.
