Apple unveils new iPad mini for £699

Apple has revealed its new iPad mini tablet, which sports a larger display, lightweight design, and upgraded chipset for improved performance.

Powered by iPadOS 27 and sporting Apple’s A20 Pro chip, the iPad mini — as with Apple’s other recently launched devices — features further integration with Siri AI and on-device LLM features.

It sports an 8.5-inch display that is bigger than the previous-generation device but still sits in a lightweight frame small enough to hold in one hand. Apple says the iPad mini’s new display has a peak brightness level twice that of its predecessor, along with higher contrast.

The iPad will be available to pre-order in the UK from 5:10pm on Wednesday 28 October and will ship to customers on Friday 6 November. It is available in dark grey and off-white finishes which Apple calls midnight and starlight.

The new iPad mini is available in three storage configurations and with two glass and connectivity options, priced as follows from the UK Apple Store:

iPad mini 128GB

• Apple iPad mini 128GB Wi-Fi- £699
• Apple iPad mini 128GB Wi-Fi and Cellular – £849

iPad mini 256GB

• Apple iPad mini 256GB Wi-Fi – £799
• Apple iPad mini 256GB Wi-Fi and Cellular – £949
• Apple iPad mini 256GB Wi-Fi (Nano-texture glass) – £899
• Apple iPad mini 256GB Wi-Fi and Cellular (Nano-texture glass) – £1,049

iPad mini 512GB

• Apple iPad mini 512GB Wi-Fi- £999
• Apple iPad mini 512GB Wi-Fi and Cellular – £1,149
• Apple iPad mini 512GB Wi-Fi (Nano-texture glass)- £1,099
• Apple iPad mini 512GB Wi-Fi and Cellular (Nano-texture glass) – £1,249

Nano-texture glass, more powerful, and AI-enabled

iPad mini is available with two display glass options, standard and nano‑texture. Both cover the same display with its improved brightness and contrast, but the nano-texture glass is specifically engineered to reduce glare and reflections in bright spaces.

The new iPad mini is just 5.4mm thin and is IP67-rated for water and dust protection. It is powered by the same A20 Pro chip used in the new iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and Duo smartphones, sporting a six-core CPU and seven-core GPU with neural accelerators.

This leads to 4.5-times faster AI performance than the previous-generation model and unlocks much better performance across the board. Apple says that the new iPad mini’s chipset delivers up to 60% faster multithreaded performance for tasks such as editing photos and multitasking across apps.

There is a 12MP camera on both the front and the back of the device, and its built-in woofers are paired through the display for punchier bass through the iPad mini’s integrated speakers.

The latest generation of iPad mini devices also come with an upgraded N1 wireless networking chip, and the cellular models sports the C2 modem for improved connection speed and power efficiency.

The new iPad mini runs iPadOS 27, which is now getting Siri AI in beta, a new integrated assistant powered by Apple Intelligence. Siri AI can be aware of what you are doing on your screen, allowing it to use that context to help find what you need across your personal messages, emails, photos, and more.

iPadOS 27 also supports Apple’s new Image Playground editing and creation suite, as well as advanced photo and video editing tools that are built on its AI capabilities.

“iPad mini is beloved for its fantastic portability, performance, and display by a wide range of users, from creators and small business owners to doctors, field service workers, and gamers,” said Apple Vice President of Hardware Engineering Dave Pakula.

“With a remarkably thinner and lighter design, a stunning new OLED display, the incredibly powerful A20 Pro, and water and dust resistance, the new iPad mini is a huge leap forward for users who love having the full iPad experience in the palm of their hand.”

Apple iPad mini

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