Apple's new iPad mini gets a bigger screen and costs $699

Apple has announced a new iPad mini with a slightly bigger screen, a new chip and a higher price. The base model costs $699. Apple calls it the most significant update ever for the iPad mini line. Preorders start October 28, and it ships November 6.

What changed

The tablet has about the same footprint as the 2024 model. The screen grows from 8.3 to 8.5 inches because the bezels, the borders around the display, are 24 percent thinner. The body is 5.4 mm thick, almost a full millimeter thinner than before.

• The screen is now OLED, which gives deeper blacks than the old IPS display.
• Peak brightness rises to 1,200 nits from 500. A nit is a unit of screen brightness.
• It can dim to 1 nit, so it is easier on the eyes in a dark room.
• It has an IP67 rating for water and dust protection. The last model had no official rating.
• A nano-textured matte screen is available as an option.

Inside the tablet

The new chip is the 2-nanometer A20 Pro. The previous mini used a 3-nanometer A17 Pro. The cameras stay at 12 MP front and back, but the front camera has moved to the long edge. People who often use the tablet for FaceTime in portrait mode may need time to adjust.

What it costs

The $699 base price buys 128GB of storage and Wi-Fi only. The 256GB model costs $100 more, and the 512GB model costs $300 more. The nano-texture screen adds $100 and is only offered on the 256GB and 512GB models. Cellular starts at $849 for the 128GB version.

The 2024 iPad mini launched at $499 and has since risen to $599. The new model adds another $100 on top of that.

The catch

Not every version is equally capable. The Neural Engine is the part of the chip that handles AI tasks on the device itself. The 512GB model has two 16-core Neural Engines, the same setup as the iPhone 18 Pro. The 128GB and 256GB models have one. Those two also have five CPU cores instead of six.

The material does not say how much this gap will matter in everyday use. For people who plan to lean on AI features, the 512GB model is the one with the stronger setup.

What happens next

Preorders open Wednesday, October 28, at 10:10 am PT. Tablets arrive in homes and stores on November 6.