ⓘ Apple
Apple unveiled its eighth-generation iPad mini, bringing with it the long-awaited OLED display, A20 Pro chipset, and numerous other upgrades. As expected, the new tablet also brings a price increase, but there’s another problem.
According to Apple’s official specifications, the 128GB and 256GB models feature a five-core CPU consisting of two super cores and three efficiency cores. They also feature a seven-core GPU and a 16-core neural engine. Essentially, it appears to be a lower-priced A20 Pro variant, and not the regular A20 expected to debut alongside the vanilla iPhone 18 next year.
The more expensive 512GB model, however, has a substantially more powerful A20 Pro configuration. It features a six-core CPU with two super cores and four efficiency cores, along with a dual 16-core Neural Engine, bringing the total to 32 AI processing cores. The GPU remains unchanged at seven cores, with hardware-accelerated ray tracing and neural accelerators in both configurations.
Essentially, upgrading to 512GB doesn’t just provide additional storage. It also unlocks an additional CPU core and double the Neural Engine hardware. Apple specifically highlights the 512GB model’s dual Neural Engine in its announcement, claiming that it can accelerate the most demanding on-device AI workloads. However, the company has not provided a direct performance comparison between the two variants of the A20 Pro.
Apple has yet to determine how much performance difference there is between the two configurations of the A20 Pro, making the 512GB model particularly interesting for future benchmarks.
The other major update is the new 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, which replaces the previous generation’s 8.3-inch LCD. It features a resolution of 2316×1512 pixels, 600 nits of full-screen brightness, and up to 1,200 nits of peak HDR brightness. Apple also reduced the bezels by 24%, allowing the larger display to fit into a similarly sized chassis. An optional nano-texture finish is available on the 256GB and 512GB models.
Despite the larger display, the new iPad mini measures just 5.4mm thick and weighs 255g in the Wi-Fi configuration. Other improvements include IP67 water and dust resistance, a landscape-oriented 12MP Center Stage camera, Apple’s Acoustic Display speaker system, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and a C2 modem on cellular models.
The tablet runs iPadOS 27 with Apple’s next-generation Siri AI capabilities and supports Apple Pencil Pro. Battery life is rated at up to 10 hours, with fast charging capable of refilling 50% of the battery in about 30 minutes using a compatible 35W charger.
The new iPad mini starts at $699 for the 128GB Wi-Fi model, while cellular variants start at $849. Pre-orders open October 28, with general availability scheduled for November 6. The tablet arrives at midnight and ends Starlight.
I have been an avid PC gamer since the age of 8. My passion for gaming eventually pushed me into general technology, and I got my first writing job at age 19. I have a degree in mechanical engineering and worked in manufacturing and a few other publications like Wccftech before joining Notebookcheck in November 2019. I cover a variety of topics including smartphones, gaming, and computer hardware.
