Apple's new iPad mini gets an OLED screen
Apple's new iPad mini adds an OLED display, a 2nm A20 Pro chip and water resistance, but starts at $699, which is $200 more, according to Engadget.
The facts
- According to Engadget, the new iPad mini runs on the 2nm A20 Pro chip. Apple says it is up to 2.7 times faster in graphics and up to 4.5 times faster in AI workloads than the A17 Pro.
- The OLED panel reaches up to 1,200 nits of peak HDR brightness and the screen is 8.5 inches. The tablet is 5.4mm thick and weighs 255 grams. It stays at 60Hz with no ProMotion.
- It is Apple's first water-resistant iPad, with an IP67 rating. It also adds Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Apple's new C2 cellular modem.
- Pricing starts at $699 for the 128GB model, which is $200 more than before. Colours are cut to Midnight and Starlight. A 512GB model with cellular and nano-texture glass costs $1,249.
Case notes · Danny's take
Why it matters
Apple is moving its smallest iPad upmarket. Better screen, better chip, higher price, fewer colours. That's a trade, not a free upgrade. A $699 starting price is serious money in Lagos once you convert it to naira, so the real question is whether a mini is worth tablet-Pro money to you. Spec sheets sell the upgrade. Your use case decides if it's worth paying for.
For builders
Engadget says the A20 Pro is better suited to demanding on-device AI tasks, though the extra memory is its own estimate and not an Apple figure. If you build creative, gaming or AI apps for iPad, test on the new hardware and the brighter HDR display before assuming the old performance limits still apply.
Not financial advice. Do your own investigation.
This story was summarised with AI from Engadget's reporting and checked against our editorial policy. Danny's take reflects his views. Disclaimer.
Danny Walter
Founder of Moon Republic, Volt Terminal and Moon Republic Academy. Author of The Market Is a Crime Scene and After the Applause.