Apple announced a new iPad Mini with a larger, 8.5-inch OLED display. The company revealed the new device just days before its “Pro and tell” event on Wednesday. It starts at $699 for the Wi-Fi-only model.
Despite having a slightly bigger display than its predecessor, Apple says the device maintains the same small footprint thanks to its slimmer bezels. iPad Mini is 5.4mm thick, making it thinner and lighter than the previous generation, according to Apple. It also comes with an IP67 rating for protection against water and dust.
Aside from an OLED display, the new iPad Mini features an upgraded A20 Pro chip. This enables support for some of Apple’s new Siri AI features, including the ability to tweak the expressiveness and pace of the assistant’s voice. Apple says the upgraded iPad Mini also comes with two times the peak brightness than the previous generation.
iPad Mini’s 12MP front-facing camera is now on the long edge of the device, making it easier for video calls in landscape orientation.
This new iPad Mini follows Apple’s 7th-generation version released in 2024, which arrived three years after the 6th-generation model in 2021. That 7th-generation iPad Mini, which started at $499, was primarily a spec bump, with the A17 Pro chip, support for the Apple Pencil Pro, and an upgrade to 128GB base storage. In his review, David Pierce called it a “new low for the product” that “feels like an iPad designed by a supply chain, not by someone who actually wants you to like the product.
