Overview
- Apple announced the eighth‑generation iPad mini on Monday with an 8.5‑inch Super Retina XDR OLED that offers a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, up to 1,200 nits peak HDR brightness, P3 color and an optional nano‑texture finish for reduced glare.
- The tablet is powered by the A20 Pro chip built on TSMC’s 2nm process and Apple claims up to 60% faster multithreaded CPU, up to 2.7× faster graphics, and up to 4.5× faster AI performance versus the prior model.
- Apple’s tech specs show the A20 Pro is configured by storage tier, with 128GB and 256GB models using a 5‑core CPU and single 16‑core Neural Engine and the 512GB model adding a 6th CPU core plus a second 16‑core Neural Engine.
- The device gains IP67 water and dust resistance and a new 'Acoustic Display' speaker system, and it moves the 12MP Center Stage front camera to the landscape edge while remaining a 60Hz screen with no ProMotion.
- Pricing starts at $699 in the U.S., pre‑orders begin Wednesday, Oct. 28, and retail availability starts Friday, Nov. 6, a rollout that undercuts earlier reports of a steeper $799 entry price and signals Apple’s broader push of OLED and advanced silicon across its product line.