Apple updates iPad mini with OLED and AI features

The new iPad mini gets an 8.5-inch OLED display, an A20 Pro chip, and Apple Intelligence support, with preorders opening October 28.

Apple has unveiled a new iPad mini with a larger 8.5-inch OLED display, a thinner body, and the A20 Pro chip. The update brings several premium features to Apple’s smallest tablet, including brighter visuals, faster performance, and new AI tools. It also lands just days before the company’s “Pro and Tell” event on Wednesday, putting Apple’s product timing under the spotlight as well as the device itself.

The new model starts at $699 for Wi-Fi and $849 for the Wi-Fi and cellular version. Preorders open on October 28, and the tablet goes on sale November 6.

The new iPad mini gets a thinner design and OLED screen

Apple says the new iPad mini is 5.4 mm thick and comes in two colors. Its Super Retina XDR display uses OLED technology, which gives it pixel-level lighting control. In practical terms, that means deeper blacks, stronger contrast, and support for the P3 wide color gamut for more vivid colors.

The display can reach peak brightness of up to 1,200 nits, which Apple says is more than twice that of the previous-generation device. It also offers 600 nits of full-screen brightness for SDR and HDR content, along with a 2 million:1 contrast ratio. Apple says the tablet is particularly suited to dimly lit environments.

For brighter spaces, Apple has also added a nano-texture display option to reduce glare. That feature was previously available on the iPad Pro.

A20 Pro powers faster performance and on-device AI

Inside, the tablet runs on Apple’s A20 Pro chip. Apple says the chip’s 7-core GPU includes Neural Accelerators in each core, helping deliver up to 4.5 times faster AI performance than the previous generation.

The A20 Pro also includes a 6-core CPU. According to Apple, that brings up to 60% faster multithreaded performance for everyday tasks such as photo editing and switching between apps.

The new iPad mini launches with the next generation of Apple Intelligence and Siri AI. Apple says these tools can use a user’s personal context to help find information, answer questions, and understand what is on the screen. As IT-PUB News notes, Apple is positioning the device not just as a smaller tablet, but as a more capable AI-enabled one.

Camera, connectivity, and charging also get updates

Apple also refreshed several practical features beyond the display and chip. The new iPad mini includes a 12-megapixel Center Stage front camera, faster wireless and cellular connectivity, and support for fast charging.

Another addition is what Apple calls an “Acoustic Display.” The company says it improves sound when gaming, watching videos, or editing content. It does so through specially designed woofers integrated into the display, which Apple says deliver deeper bass and higher volume.

Those changes may be less obvious than the new screen, but they are part of Apple’s broader push to make the tablet feel more complete as a compact device for media, communication, and light productivity.

Apple gives the small tablet a more premium price

The new iPad mini arrives with clearly premium positioning. Its starting price of $699 for the Wi-Fi version is higher than some buyers may expect from Apple’s smallest tablet, especially as the company rolls out display and AI upgrades at the same time.

That makes the launch notable not just as a hardware refresh, but as a signal of where Apple sees value in its tablet lineup. The company is pairing a smaller form factor with features usually associated with higher-end devices, including OLED, nano-texture glass, and Apple Intelligence support.

The timing also stands out. Apple revealed the tablet only days before its next event, keeping attention on the company’s product strategy heading into the week. For buyers, the new iPad mini brings a more advanced display and faster hardware. For Apple, it reinforces the idea that smaller devices do not have to sit at the entry level.