Small tablets rarely receive the kind of hardware rethink usually reserved for flagship tablets. The new iPad mini changes that with an 8.5-inch OLED screen, a thinner aluminum enclosure, and the A20 Pro processor.

Despite the larger display, the tablet keeps the footprint of its predecessor by narrowing the bezels. Its Super Retina XDR panel reaches 1,200 nits of peak brightness, with a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and optional nano-texture glass on 256GB and 512GB models. At 5.4 mm thick, the body is 14 percent thinner, and IP67 protection brings water and dust resistance to the compact iPad for the first time.

Apple’s A20 Pro uses a 2-nanometer process and pairs a seven-core GPU with dedicated neural accelerators. Rated gains reach 2.7 times the graphics performance and 4.5 times the AI performance of the previous generation.

A landscape-mounted 12-megapixel Center Stage camera improves video calls, while a new Acoustic Display arrangement hides tweeters between the screen glass and aluminum housing. Apple Pencil Pro compatibility remains. The 512GB configuration adds a dual 16-core Neural Engine, and the tablet runs iPadOS 27.

The eighth-generation model comes in midnight and starlight with 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage. U.S. pricing starts at $699 for Wi-Fi, with preorders opening October 28 and retail availability beginning November 6.