Thinner and lighter, but with a slightly bigger screen
Impressive new speakers
Cons
$200 more expensive than the last iPad mini was at launch
Screen refresh rate is still 60Hz
No Face ID
Introduction
The iPad mini has often gone for years without updates, making it feel like a forgotten part of Apple's tablet lineup. But it's often been sneaky powerful despite its size, usually toting specs and features that make it a more compelling option than the basic iPad, even with its smaller screen. And after two versions of the iPad mini without a home button, Apple has given the tiny tablet a compelling update in almost every facet.
The new iPad mini's screen is slightly larger, but the device is thinner and lighter than the one it replaces. It's the first iPad mini with an OLED display, a major step forward from the standard LCD this model has had for years. And for the first time, you can get a nano-texture glass front for reduced glare in bright light. Naturally, its chipset has been upgraded, as well — the A20 Pro inside it is brand new, just released alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo. The previous iPad mini made do with the A17 Pro, which was first used in 2023's iPhone 15 Pro series. It has a new speaker system and is the first iPad to have an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. Finally, it's the second iPad to get fast-charging capabilities, following last year's iPad Pro.
All told, it's a major update to a device that doesn't always get a lot of love. But, of course, these improvements come at a cost. The iPad mini now starts at $699 with 128GB of storage, $200 more than the last iPad mini cost when it was released two years ago (but only $100 more than Apple was selling it for after its round of major price increases this past summer). Between the cost and new set of features, it almost feels like an iPad Pro mini. And while technology-wise it's an impressive device, I'm not sure if the price will be worth it for most.
Hardware Refinements Throughout
Hardware refinements throughout
Nathan Ingraham for Engadget
If I handed you the new iPad mini, you might not immediately notice how different it is compared to the previous model. At first glance, it has a similar enough physical impression and display, and its aluminum unibody and glass front are just as solid as ever. This year, you can only get the iPad mini in midnight and starlight shades, which is a bit of a bummer. But there are nips and tucks throughout that add up to a refreshed experience. While the iPad mini still has relatively large display bezels, they're noticeably thinner than before thanks to the 8.5-inch screen Apple included (compared to the 8.3 inches on the prior mini). Apple also reduced its thickness from 6.3mm to 5.4mm, and its weight from 0.65 pounds to 0.56 pounds (or 0.66 to 0.58 for the cellular-enabled models). More screen in a thinner and lighter package is always a win, and Apple has come the closest it ever has to making an iPad that you can truly carry with you everywhere without thinking about it.
While those physical tweaks are small but welcome, the new display tech is more significant. The iPad mini's OLED screen offers twice the peak brightness when viewing HDR content at 1,200 nits, while SDR brightness has been slightly increased from 500 to 600 nits. It can also go all the way down to 1 nit minimum brightness. And thanks to OLED, blacks look exceptionally black and overall contrast is excellent. It has a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, which far surpasses what you'll get on an LCD like the older iPad mini used.
Nathan Ingraham for Engadget
What this means in practice is that the iPad mini is an even better portable cinema than ever. If you're going to use this tablet to watch movies on the plane, it's a notable upgrade. It's not the most technologically advanced OLED screen you've ever seen, but its dark blacks, HDR performance and excellent overall contrast makes even dimly-lit scenes much sharper than what you'll get on an LCD-equipped iPad mini. You'll notice this the most when watching video, but it makes everything you do with the iPad mini, whether that's playing games or just browsing the internet, look much more visually appealing.
One place where I will ding this screen is its refresh rate: Apple stuck with 60Hz here, compared to the 120Hz ProMotion screen on the iPad Pro. It's pretty evident at this point that a high refresh rate screen is going to be limited to the iPad Pro, but it's still a bit of a let-down. That said, the smartphone market is far more competitive than the tablet market, so while Apple may have felt the pressure to finally put a high refresh rate screen in the standard iPhone, that still isn't the case on the iPad.
The iPad mini I tested also has a nano-texture glass front. The etching on the glass front scatters reflections in a way that makes the iPad mini much easier to use when there's a bright light source nearby. The combo of OLED and the nano-texture glass made for an exceptional viewing experience here.
As you can see below, the new iPad mini with its nano-texture glass disperses strong light, while the one on the right with standard glass is a mess of reflections as the sun was setting.
Nathan Ingraham for Engadget
As is typical, but still unfortunate, the nano-texture option costs a pretty penny. It's not an option on the base iPad mini with 128GB of storage, so you'll need to spend at least $899 to get the 256GB model with the nano-texture glass (or $1,049 for 256GB, nano-texture and 5G connectivity). That's a lot of cash for an iPad mini, no matter how nice it is.
Other subtle tweaks include the new Acoustic Display, which Apple says places tweeter and woofers beneath the display enclosure for improved audio performance. This also allowed Apple to remove the speaker holes on either side of the iPad mini so that it could achieve that IP67 dust- and water-resistance rating.
The new Acoustic Display speakers are another step forward, with a much stronger bass presence and overall more pleasing audio profile. The older iPad mini now sounds positively tinny by comparison. It's not the kind of thing that's going to radically change how you use the device, but it's a nice quality of life improvement.
The front-facing camera is now located on the landscape edge of the iPad mini. It's the same 12-megapixel Center Stage camera that most iPads use, but if you use a case like Apple's Smart Folio, the iPad mini's camera will be properly lined up for a video call. Like all other iPads except the Pro, though, that camera doesn't support Face ID. You'll need to use the Touch ID power button or a numerical PIN to unlock the device.
Performance and Power
Power to spare
Nathan Ingraham for Engadget
Given that the iPad mini has a brand-new A20 Pro chip inside, it's unsurprisingly speedy and handled every task thrown at it. Games like console-tier ports ran with no hitches and looked great. The iPad mini naturally had no problems with lower-stress fare, including games from Apple Arcade and casual puzzle titles.
Performance on an iPad hasn't really been an issue unless you're really finding ways to stress the system, and casual tasks like web browsing, messaging, triaging emails, playing games or watching videos are handled with ease. It definitely has the headroom to do more, and if you're paying at least $700 for one now, it's good that it has a chip that'll run well for years to come.
The one bit of higher-load work tested was in the Lightroom app. Loaded with a heavy library of RAW photos, the iPad mini applied adjustments near-instantly. AI-powered tools took a few seconds to analyze a photo initially, but once scanned, adjustments rendered in real time.
Apple offers a few variants of the A20 Pro chip depending on storage capacity. The 128GB and 256GB models have a 5-core CPU, 7-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine for AI processing, while the 512GB model steps up to a 6-core CPU and a dual 16-core Neural Engine to speed up on-device AI performance. Most shoppers will find the standard configuration more than adequate.
The new iPad mini is the first with Apple's own networking chips on board. The N1 handles Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, while cellular models feature the C2 modem for exceptionally fast 5G connectivity. Combined with the nano-texture glass and smaller profile, a cellular-connected iPad mini can travel anywhere without adding noticeable weight to your bag.
Battery Life and Charging
Battery and fast charging
In daily use, battery life feels very similar to recent iPad models. Heavy gaming sessions yield around five to six hours of battery life, while lower-intensity tasks like watching video or browsing the internet extend usage closer to the 10 hours Apple promises. Demanding games drop the battery by roughly 11 percent per half-hour of play.
In another feature borrowed from the iPad Pro, the new iPad mini supports fast charging. Provided you use a sufficiently powerful adapter (such as a 40W or 60W block), you can charge the device from 29 percent to 74 percent in about 30 minutes.
Conclusion
Wrap-up
Nathan Ingraham for Engadget
Unlike previous iterations, this model introduces several significant upgrades beyond a more powerful chip. It delivers the second-best display of any iPad available in a compact size. The size and weight reductions, slightly larger screen, and improved speakers are welcome additions, and the nano-texture glass makes the device much easier to use in various lighting conditions.
The main hurdle remains the price. Starting at $699 compared to the previous generation's $599, the hardware updates justify a $100 bump, but it forces buyers to consider whether they want a premium small tablet or a more affordable device. Positioned more as a small iPad Air than a budget option, the pricing aligns with its capabilities.
The iPad mini remains a remarkably fun and capable device for digital sketching, content consumption, and everyday tasks. However, in an era of surging consumer electronics prices, its higher price point might make it an even more niche option than before.
