Apple’s iPad Mini grows to 8.5-inch OLED, starting at $699

Apple’s new iPad Mini starts at $699 for the Wi-Fi-only model. The company announced the 8.5-inch OLED tablet just days before its “Pro and tell” event on Wednesday.

The tablet is more than a spec refresh. Its screen grows slightly while slimmer bezels preserve the same small footprint as the 2024 predecessor, and Apple says the new 5.4 mm body makes the device thinner and lighter.

That predecessor, the seventh-generation iPad Mini, arrived in 2024, three years after the sixth-generation model in 2021. It started at $499 and was primarily a spec bump, bringing the A17 Pro chip, Apple Pencil Pro support and a 128GB base storage tier.

David Pierce called the 2024 model “a new low for the product” in his review, adding that it “feels like an iPad designed by a supply chain, not by someone who actually wants you to like the product.” The critique sets a demanding baseline for the redesign.

The new model changes the display, processor and camera placement. The entry price has also risen, from $499 to $699. That accompanies a broader redesign than the component-focused refresh that defined the previous generation.

What changes in the new hardware?

• Display: The 8.5-inch OLED panel is slightly larger than the previous generation’s, and Apple says it delivers two times the peak brightness of the 2024 model.
• Processor and AI: The A20 Pro supports some of Apple’s new Siri AI features, including adjustments to the expressiveness and pace of the assistant’s voice.
• Camera: A 12MP front-facing camera now sits on the long edge of the device, making video calls easier in landscape orientation.
• Body and durability: At 5.4 mm thick, the tablet is thinner and lighter than the previous generation, according to Apple, while an IP67 rating covers protection against water and dust.

Those changes touch three distinct parts of the tablet experience. The panel changes display performance, the A20 Pro enables the specified Siri functions, and the camera placement addresses landscape calls. Together, they amount to more than the component-level refresh that defined the 2024 model.

What does the $699 price change?

The Wi-Fi-only entry price has risen from $499 on the seventh-generation model to $699 on the new OLED version. The $200 increase comes with the larger display, the A20 Pro chip, Apple’s claim of two times the peak brightness and a relocated 12MP front camera.

The commercial test is whether those changes justify the $200 premium over the 2024 configuration. Apple is asking buyers to pay more for hardware that changes the display, processor and camera arrangement, plus adds a limited set of Siri voice controls.

What else could Apple announce this week?

The iPad Mini announcement comes ahead of a string of rumored Apple launches. The slate could include a touchscreen MacBook Pro, an M6-equipped MacBook Pro and an M6-equipped iMac. Those computer products remain rumors, unlike the iPad Mini’s $699 starting price and confirmed specifications.

The announcement does not supply dates or prices for the rumored computers, so their commercial effect remains harder to pin down than the tablet’s $200 price increase. For the iPad Mini, the confirmed figures are the 8.5-inch OLED panel, 5.4 mm thickness, A20 Pro chip and 12MP front camera.

The commercial question is whether the $200 step up can be justified by the 8.5-inch OLED panel, A20 Pro chip and long-edge 12MP camera, especially if the rumored MacBook Pro and iMac updates arrive in the same week.