Newly minted Apple CEO John Ternus has certainly hit the ground running. After releasing the iPhone Duo and unveiling the next generation of Apple TV 4K and HomePod Mini 2, as well as the HomeView hub and Home Collection lineup, the Cupertino giant is back with an announcement for its newest iPad Mini, coming two years after the previous model and a few days before this week’s “Pro and Tell” MacBook event.
The eighth-generation tablet features a lighter, thinner design, measuring 5.4mm thick and weighing 255 grams, down from 6.3 mm thick and 293 grams, respectively. Instead of an 8.3-inch LCD panel, it now sports an 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a 2,316 x 1,512-pixel resolution and a peak brightness of up to 1,200 nits, more than twice that of its predecessor, with a new nano-texture option on the 256GB and 512GB models that reduces glare in bright environments — a feature already available on the iPad Pro.
Under the hood, the souped-up A20 Pro chip, which powers the iPhone 18 Pro and Duo, comprises a 5-core CPU, 7-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine, marking a notable step up from the A17 Pro. The 512GB iteration is equipped with a 6-core GPU and dual 16-core Neural Engines, delivering up to 60 percent faster multithreaded performance for everyday tasks, per the company; in any case, users will have access to the entire suite of Apple Intelligence tools, such as Siri AI, which can draw on personal context to answer questions and understand on-screen content.
Alongside a 12-megapixel Center Stage front camera, the iPad Mini also boasts an Acoustic Display designed to enhance the audio experience when gaming, watching videos, or editing content, courtesy of specially tailored woofers integrated into the display that deliver deeper bass and higher volume. Other changes include support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, alongside an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. The battery is rated at 10 hours, while built-in Apple Pencil compatibility remains a mainstay.
The 8th-gen iPad Mini comes in Midnight and Starlight, but the hardware upgrades come at a price — the base model now starts at S$999, up from S$849, and the WiFi + Cellular option retails from S$1,229 (versus S$1,079). Pre-orders will begin on 29 October, with availability beginning on 6 November.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
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