Apple's $699 iPad mini gets OLED and A20 Pro, but the 512 GB model packs a surprise

Apple has unveiled its eighth-generation iPad mini, bringing a long-awaited OLED display, the A20 Pro chipset and several other upgrades. As foretold, the new tablet also comes with a price increase, and there’s another catch.

According to Apple’s official specifications, the 128 GB and 256 GB models feature a five-core CPU comprising two super cores and three efficiency cores. They also come with a seven-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. Essentially, it appears to be a lower-binned A20 Pro variant, and not the regular A20 scheduled to debut alongside the vanilla iPhone 18 next year. 

The more expensive 512 GB model, however, gets a substantially more powerful A20 Pro configuration. It features a six-core CPU with two super cores and four efficiency cores, alongside a dual 16-core Neural Engine, bringing the total to 32 AI processing cores. The GPU remains unchanged at seven cores, with hardware-accelerated ray tracing and Neural Accelerators across both configurations. 

Essentially, upgrading to 512 GB doesn’t just provide additional storage. It also unlocks an extra CPU core and twice the Neural Engine hardware. Apple specifically highlights the 512 GB model’s dual Neural Engine in its announcement, claiming it can accelerate demanding on-device AI workloads. However, the company has not provided a direct performance comparison between the two A20 Pro variants.

Apple has yet to establish how much of a real-world performance difference exists between the two A20 Pro configurations, making the 512 GB model particularly interesting for future benchmarks.

The other major upgrade is the new 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, replacing the 8.3-inch LCD found on the previous generation. It features a resolution of 2316 × 1512 pixels, 600 nits of full-screen brightness and up to 1,200 nits of peak HDR brightness. Apple has also reduced the bezels by 24%, allowing the larger display to fit within a similarly sized chassis. An optional nano-texture finish is available on the 256 GB and 512 GB models.

Despite the larger display, the new iPad mini measures just 5.4 mm thick and weighs 255 g in its Wi-Fi configuration. Other improvements include IP67 water and dust resistance, a landscape-oriented 12 MP Center Stage camera, Apple’s Acoustic Display speaker system, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and a C2 modem on cellular models.

The tablet runs iPadOS 27 with Apple’s next-generation Siri AI features and supports the Apple Pencil Pro. Battery life is rated at up to 10 hours, with fast charging capable of replenishing 50% of the battery in approximately 30 minutes using a compatible 35 W charger.

The new iPad mini starts at $699 for the 128 GB Wi-Fi model, while cellular variants start at $849. Pre-orders open on October 28, with general availability scheduled for November 6. The tablet comes in midnight and starlight finishes.

Anil Ganti - Senior Tech Writer - 3153 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2019

I've been an avid PC gamer since the age of 8. My passion for gaming eventually pushed me towards general tech, and I got my first writing gig at the age of 19. I have a degree in mechanical engineering and have worked in the manufacturing industry and a few other publications like Wccftech before joining Notebookcheck in November 2019. I cover a variety of topics including smartphones, gaming, and computer hardware.