Apple officially unveiled a redesigned iPad mini on Monday, October 26, introducing significant hardware upgrades including a more powerful processor and a high-resolution OLED display. The new tablet features an 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen, which the company claims provides deeper blacks, vivid colours, and improved contrast. Designed for varied tasks ranging from reading to high-end gaming, the display offers a peak brightness of 1,200 nits and supports a minimum brightness of one nit. Consumers can also opt for a nano-texture glass finish, specifically intended to reduce glare in brightly lit environments.
Despite housing a larger display than its predecessor, the new iPad mini maintains a similar overall footprint by implementing bezels that are approximately 24 per cent thinner. The device measures 5.4 mm in thickness and includes an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, marking a durability improvement for the portable series. The tablet will be sold in two colour finishes: midnight and starlight, with storage configurations available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB capacities.
At the heart of the new device is the A20 Pro chip, manufactured using a 2-nanometre process. Apple highlighted that this silicon delivers substantial performance gains, noting up to 4.5 times faster AI performance and 2.7 times faster graphics capabilities compared to the previous model. The processor also enables a 60 per cent boost in multithreaded CPU performance, which is intended to support demanding graphical workloads and on-device AI tasks, such as operating local language models. For the 512GB configuration, the device includes a dual 16-core Neural Engine to facilitate advanced AI processing requirements.
The tablet introduces updated camera systems and connectivity features. It sports a 12MP centre-stage front camera positioned along the landscape edge to improve video conferencing experiences. The rear panel features a 12MP camera supporting Smart HDR 4 and 4K video recording at up to 60 frames per second. Wireless connectivity has been upgraded through the integration of Apple’s N1 chip, supporting Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread protocol. Furthermore, cellular models now feature the C2 modem, which the company states enables data speeds up to 50 per cent faster than the previous generation.
Running on iPadOS 27, the device is built to integrate with Apple’s next-generation intelligence features and a redesigned version of the Siri AI assistant. These features, which are currently rolling out in beta, are designed to utilize personal context and on-screen awareness to assist users with specific tasks. The tablet maintains compatibility with the Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), which remain separate purchases.
In the Indian market, the new iPad mini starts at Rs 82,900 for the Wi-Fi model, while the Wi-Fi + Cellular variant begins at Rs 1,00,900. Apple has introduced an education savings option that lowers the entry price to Rs 76,900 for eligible customers. Pre-orders are scheduled to commence on October 28 via the official Apple website and the Apple Store app, with retail store availability and product deliveries slated to begin on November 6. Additionally, a new TechWoven Smart Folio accessory for the device has been priced at Rs 8,500.
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