Apple just announced an iPad mini that finally goes OLED, with an 8.5-inch screen, an A20 Pro chip, and IP67 water and dust resistance in a 5.4mm-thin body. It’s the OLED mini we expected at Apple’s “Pro and tell” launch.
The OLED panel here lights each pixel on its own, for deeper blacks and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. It peaks at 1,200 nits for HDR and dims to 1 nit for reading in bed. With bezels 24% thinner, the bigger screen fits in the last mini’s footprint.
Nano-texture glass is an option on the 256GB and 512GB models, but ProMotion isn’t: Apple’s comparison chart still shows it only on the iPad Pro.
The A20 Pro is a 2-nanometer chip from Apple with Neural Accelerators in every core of its 7-core GPU. Storage decides the rest: the 128GB and 256GB models get a 5-core CPU and a 16-core Neural Engine, while the 512GB model gets a 6-core CPU and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine. Apple measures its CPU speed claims on that 6-core version.
The speakers now hide under the glass: woofers play through the display, and tweeters sit between the glass and the aluminum enclosure. That sealed design helps it reach IP67: up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes.
Apple calls the new mini, at 255g with Wi-Fi, the lightest iPad ever. The 12MP Center Stage front camera moves to the landscape edge, and Apple’s own N1 and C2 chips handle Wi-Fi 7 and cellular.
Apple says it can charge to 50% in about 30 minutes, but only with a 35W or bigger adapter. The one in the box is 20W.
iPad mini (A20 Pro) key specs
- Display: 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR (OLED), 2316 x 1512 at 326 ppi; P3 wide color, True Tone; 600 nits SDR and full-screen HDR, 1,200 nits peak (HDR); 1 nit minimum; 2,000,000:1 contrast; nano-texture glass option on 256GB and 512GB
- Processor: A20 Pro (2nm); 5-core CPU (two super cores, three efficiency cores) and 16-core Neural Engine on 128GB and 256GB; 6-core CPU (two super cores, four efficiency cores) and Dual 16-core Neural Engine on 512GB
- Graphics: 7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators and hardware-accelerated ray tracing
- Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
- Rear camera: 12MP Wide, f/1.8; 4K video at up to 60fps; Adaptive True Tone flash
- Front camera: 12MP Center Stage on the landscape edge, f/2.0
- Battery: 18.9Wh; up to 10 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi or video playback; up to 9 hours of web browsing on cellular
- Charging: USB-C (USB 3, up to 10Gb/s); up to 50% in about 30 minutes with a 35W or higher adapter; 20W adapter in the box
- Software: iPadOS 27, with Siri AI in beta
- Connectivity: Apple N1 with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread; cellular models add the Apple C2 modem with 5G (sub-6GHz), eSIM only
- Durability: IP67 (up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes)
- Size and weight: 195.3 x 132.6 x 5.4mm; 255g (Wi-Fi), 263g (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
- Colors: midnight, starlight
- Stylus: Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil (USB-C)
- Other: stereo speakers through the Acoustic Display; dual microphones; Touch ID in the top button; one external display at up to 4K and 60Hz
Apple’s Philippine store lists it at:
- Wi-Fi: Php 49,990 (about $780) with 128GB, Php 56,990 (about $890) with 256GB and Php 70,990 (about $1,110) with 512GB
- Wi-Fi + Cellular: Php 59,990 (about $940), Php 66,990 (about $1,050) and Php 80,990 (about $1,270)
- Nano-texture glass: Php 7,000 (about $110) more, on 256GB and 512GB
In the US, it starts at $699 (about Php 44,700) with Wi-Fi and $849 (about Php 54,300) with cellular, $200 (about Php 12,800) more than the last mini. Pre-orders open October 28th in 36 countries and regions, including the US, and it arrives November 6th.
IP67 or not, though, at these prices we’d still keep it out of the deep end.
