Apple has given its compact tablet a comprehensive refresh, introducing significant hardware and display upgrades that elevate the device’s performance and usability. However, as Engadget reports, these improvements come with a higher price tag that turns the device into an even more specialized option.
Refined Hardware and OLED Display
The new iPad mini arrives in midnight and starlight shades, featuring a slightly larger 8.5-inch screen housed in a thinner 5.4mm frame that weighs 0.56 pounds. The device features an OLED screen boasting a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 1,200 nits of peak HDR brightness, and a minimum brightness of 1 nit. Despite these visual enhancements, Apple retained a 60Hz refresh rate rather than adopting a ProMotion display. Buyers can also select an optional nano-texture glass front for reduced glare in bright lighting conditions.
Audio performance receives an upgrade through a new “Acoustic Display” system that places tweeters and woofers under the enclosure. This design choice allowed Apple to remove exterior speaker grilles and achieve an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. Additionally, the front-facing 12-megapixel Center Stage camera now sits along the landscape edge, though unlocking still requires Touch ID via the power button.
Performance and Connectivity
Powering the device is the brand-new A20 Pro chip, which handles demanding titles like Control and No Man’s Sky smoothly, alongside daily tasks and AI-powered photo editing in Lightroom. Storage configurations affect the processor specs, as the 512GB model includes a 6-core CPU and a dual 16-core Neural Engine compared to the lower storage tiers. The tablet also integrates Apple’s N1 networking chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, alongside the C2 cellular modem for fast 5G connectivity.
Battery performance provides roughly five to six hours during heavy usage such as gaming, while lighter activities extend closer to Apple’s 10-hour estimate. Borrowing a feature from the iPad Pro, the device supports fast charging, reaching approximately 74 percent from 29 percent in thirty minutes when using a compatible adapter.
The updated iPad mini starts at $699 for the 128GB base model, while configurations with nano-texture glass and cellular connectivity cost significantly more, reaching at least $899.
