Apple has unveiled a new iPad mini, calling it the “biggest update ever” for its smallest tablet. The new model gets an 8.5-inch OLED display, A20 Pro chip, faster wireless and cellular connectivity, an upgraded camera system and IP67-rated water and dust resistance.
In India, the new iPad mini starts at ₹82,900 for the Wi-Fi model with 128GB storage, while the Wi-Fi + Cellular variant starts at ₹1,00,900. The 256GB Wi-Fi model is priced at ₹94,900, while the 512GB version costs ₹1,18,900. The 256GB and 512GB models are also available with a nano-texture display option. Pre-orders will open on October 28 through Apple’s India website and the Apple Store app, with the device available from November 6.
The new iPad mini maintains the footprint of the previous-generation model despite the larger display, with Apple achieving this through 24% thinner bezels. The Super Retina XDR OLED display offers pixel-level lighting control, deeper blacks and support for the P3 wide colour gamut. Peak brightness goes up to 1,200 nits, more than twice that of the previous generation, while a new nano-texture option is designed to reduce glare in bright environments.
“iPad mini is beloved for its fantastic portability, performance, and display by a wide range of users, from creators and small business owners to doctors, field service workers, and gamers,” said Dave Pakula, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering.
“With a remarkably thinner and lighter design, a stunning new OLED display, the incredibly powerful A20 Pro, and water and dust resistance, the new iPad mini is a huge leap forward for users who love having the full iPad experience in the palm of their hand.”
A20 Pro brings focus on AI performance
The new iPad mini is powered by Apple’s A20 Pro chip, built using the company’s latest 2-nanometre process technology. Apple said the chip delivers up to 4.5 times faster AI performance than the previous generation, with Neural Accelerators built into each of its seven GPU cores. Graphics performance is up to 2.7 times faster, while multithreaded CPU performance is up to 60% faster.
The 512GB configuration gets a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, which Apple said provides double the processing power of the previous generation. The company said the chip can support more advanced on-device AI workloads, including running local large language models.
The tablet also features a 12MP Center Stage front camera positioned on the landscape edge and a 12MP Wide rear camera capable of recording 4K video at up to 60 frames per second. An Acoustic Display system is designed to improve audio output while the device retains its sealed enclosure.
The iPad mini gets Apple’s N1 wireless networking chip, supporting Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread. Cellular models feature Apple’s C2 modem, which enables up to 50% faster cellular data speeds than the previous generation, according to the company.
The device runs iPadOS 27 and supports the next generation of Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, including personal-context understanding and onscreen awareness.