Apple’s iPad mini Finally Gets OLED and Water Resistance

Apple has unveiled the all-new iPad mini, a top-to-bottom redesign that brings an 8.5-inch OLED display, IP67 water and dust resistance and the 2-nanometer A20 Pro chip to its smallest tablet. Apple is calling it the biggest update in the iPad mini’s history, and the spec sheet backs that up, with upgrades touching nearly every part of the device, from its audio and cameras to its wireless connectivity.

The chassis is the first thing to shrink. At just 5.4 mm thick, the new iPad mini is both slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, and it now carries an IP67 rating, which Apple tested for submersion up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. That means a rainy commute or a poolside read no longer has to be a gamble. Two finishes are on offer, a new midnight and starlight, with storage configurations of 128GB, 256GB and 512GB.

The display has grown without the tablet getting any bigger. Bezels that are 24 percent thinner make room for an 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR screen in the same footprint as before, and the switch to OLED brings pixel-level lighting control for much deeper blacks, a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and P3 wide color support. Peak brightness hits up to 1,200 nits, more than double the last model, with 600 nits of full-screen brightness for SDR and HDR content. At the other end, a 1-nit minimum makes it easier on the eyes in a dark bedroom or a cockpit. For the first time on iPad mini, buyers can also opt for a nano-texture finish to cut glare outdoors, a feature previously reserved for iPad Pro.

Under the hood, A20 Pro is built on Apple’s 2-nanometer process and uses a new package that borrows from the company’s M-series chips. Its 7-core GPU puts a Neural Accelerator in every core, pushing AI performance up to 4.5x higher than the previous generation, while dynamic caching, mesh shading and hardware-accelerated ray tracing lift graphics performance by up to 2.7x. A CPU with up to six cores adds up to 60 percent faster multithreaded performance, and unified memory bandwidth more than doubles. The 512GB model goes a step further with a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, giving it 32 cores and twice the processing power of its predecessor for heavier on-device AI workloads.

Audio gets a rethink too. Apple’s new Acoustic Display routes purpose-built woofers through the screen for louder, punchier bass, while custom tweeters are tucked between the glass and the aluminum shell to sharpen the highs. The sealed speaker enclosure also plays a part in achieving the IP67 rating. On the camera front, the 12MP Center Stage front camera has moved to the landscape edge for more natural video calls, and the 12MP Wide rear camera shoots 4K video at up to 60 fps, now paired with an Adaptive True Tone flash for better photos and document scans.

Connectivity rounds out the hardware story. Apple’s N1 wireless chip brings Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread to the iPad mini for the first time, while cellular models use the C2 modem for up to 50 percent faster data speeds and better power efficiency. The tablet ships with iPadOS 27, including a beta of Siri AI, Apple’s rebuilt, Apple Intelligence-powered assistant, along with support for extended display mode once iPadOS 27.2 arrives.

All of that is aimed at an audience that has always used the mini differently from other iPads. “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.”

A redesigned Smart Folio arrives alongside the tablet, with a two-panel magnetic build in TechWoven fabric offered in navy blue and taupe and an adjustable design that unlocks new viewing angles. The iPad mini also supports both Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C).

The new iPad mini opens for pre-order on Wednesday, October 28, via Apple and the Apple Store app in 36 countries and regions. It arrives at Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers on Friday, November 6.