Apple announced a new iPad mini on Monday, ahead of its Pro and Tell event on Wednesday. The tablet has a larger 8.5 inch OLED display in a thinner, lighter body at 5.4 mm, is powered by the A20 Pro chip, and starts at $699 for the Wi-Fi model and $849 for the cellular model. Preorders open October 28 and availability begins November 6.
The display is the upgrade. The Super Retina XDR panel reaches peak brightness of 1,200 nits, more than twice the previous generation, with full screen brightness of 600 nits and a 2 million to 1 contrast ratio, and gains the nano texture glare reduction option previously reserved for the iPad Pro. Apple has also integrated woofers into the display in what it calls an Acoustic Display, and added a 12 megapixel centre stage front camera and fast charging.
The chip claim is about AI headroom. The A20 Pro has a 6 core CPU and a 7 core GPU with neural accelerators in each core, which Apple says delivers up to 60 percent faster multithreaded performance and up to 4.5 times faster AI performance than the previous generation. The device launches with the next generation of Apple Intelligence and Siri features that draw on personal context.
For the sector, the mini is a margin and supply signal rather than a volume story. OLED panels and the newest process silicon in a $699 tablet say panel supply and yields have reached the point where Apple spreads them down the line, two days before a broader product event and ahead of results on November 2, when iPad revenue and services attach will show whether the small tablet still earns its place.