Apple iPad mini Gets 8.5-inch OLED Display, A20 Pro Chip and IP67 Rating, Starts at RM2,999
Apple has unveiled its new iPad mini, bringing its biggest update yet with an 8.5-inch OLED display, the A20 Pro chip, a thinner design and improved connectivity. The compact tablet also gains water and dust resistance, a redesigned audio system and an upgraded front-facing camera.
The new iPad mini features a Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution-enhancing visual experience, deeper blacks and support for the P3 wide colour gamut. Despite retaining the previous generation’s overall footprint, the display has increased to 8.5 inches, made possible by bezels that are 24% thinner.
The display supports peak brightness of up to 1,200 nits, more than twice that of its predecessor, alongside full-screen brightness of up to 600 nits for SDR and HDR content. It also offers a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and a minimum brightness of just 1 nit. For users who frequently work in bright environments, Apple is also offering an optional nano-texture display designed to reduce glare (not available for the 128GB model).
Measuring just 5.4mm thick, the new iPad mini is designed to be even more portable. It comes in Midnight and Starlight finishes and carries an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.
Powering the tablet is Apple’s A20 Pro chip, built using a 2nm manufacturing process. Its GPU features Neural Accelerators in every core to improve performance for AI-related tasks, while the chip also incorporates a new graphics architecture with dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing.
According to Apple, the new iPad mini delivers up to 4.5 times faster AI performance and up to 2.7 times faster graphics performance compared with the previous generation. Its CPU also provides up to 60% faster multithreaded performance, benefiting everyday tasks such as photo editing and working across multiple applications.
The 512GB configuration additionally features a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, doubling the processing power of the previous generation’s Neural Engine. Apple says the chip also offers more than twice the unified memory bandwidth, supporting more demanding graphics and on-device AI workloads.
For audio, the new iPad mini introduces an Acoustic Display system, with specially designed woofers integrated through the display to deliver stronger bass and greater volume. Custom tweeters positioned between the glass and aluminium enclosure are designed to provide clearer high-frequency audio. The sealed enclosure also contributes to the tablet’s IP67 rating.
On the camera front, the tablet features a 12MP Center Stage front camera positioned along the landscape edge, making it better suited to video calls and conferencing. At the rear, a 12MP wide camera supports Smart HDR 4 and 4K video recording at up to 60fps. An Adaptive True Tone flash is also included to improve photography and document scanning.
Connectivity has been upgraded with Apple’s N1 wireless networking chip, which enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread support. Apple says the chip improves performance on 5GHz Wi-Fi networks and enhances the reliability of features such as AirDrop and AirPlay.
For cellular models, the new iPad mini uses Apple’s C2 modem, which supports cellular data speeds of up to 50% faster than the previous generation, alongside improved power efficiency. The tablet also supports eSIM, allowing users to activate and transfer mobile plans digitally.
The new iPad mini runs iPadOS 27, which introduces various usability improvements and updates to the Liquid Glass interface. Users can adjust the appearance of Liquid Glass through a new setting, choosing between a more transparent look and a fully tinted appearance. With iPadOS 27.2, the tablet also supports extended display mode when connected to an external display, enabling users to work with windowed applications across multiple screens.
For accessories, the tablet supports both Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C). The former offers features such as squeeze and barrel roll controls, as well as Find My support to help locate the stylus when misplaced.
Apple has also introduced a new Smart Folio for the iPad mini, featuring a lightweight, two-panel design and TechWoven fabric. Available in Navy Blue and Taupe, the accessory provides adjustable viewing angles.
In Malaysia, the new iPad mini with A20 Pro will be available for pre-order from 29 October 2026 through Apple’s online store and the Apple Store app. The tablet will begin arriving to customers and become available at Apple Store locations and Apple Authorised Resellers from 6 November 2026.
The new iPad mini comes in Midnight and Starlight, with 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage options. Pricing starts at RM2,999 for the Wi-Fi model and RM3,699 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. Eligible education customers can purchase it from RM2,779.
- Standard glass (Wi-Fi)
- 128GB: RM2,999
- 256GB: RM3,399
- 512GB: RM4,299
- Standard glass (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
- 128GB: RM3,699
- 256GB: RM4,099
- 512GB: RM4,999
- Nano-texture glass (Wi-Fi)
- 256GB: RM3,699
- 512GB: RM4,699
- Nano-texture glass (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
- 256GB: RM4,499
- 512GB: RM5,399
Meanwhile, the new TechWoven Smart Folio is priced at RM349. The Apple Pencil Pro retails at RM549, while the Apple Pencil (USB-C) is available for RM349. Education pricing brings the two styluses down to RM499 and RM299, respectively.
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