It’s an iPad, sure, but the Mini’s new OLED looks exceptional, and the optional nano-texture matte finish is awesome. The “Pro and Tell” event venue has soft lighting that isn’t the most conducive to the blinding glare of the screens, but the matte finish completely crushes it.
Moving the front camera to the long edge is also a welcome change, matching other recent iPad models. (This change means the entire iPad line has the camera this way.) The reliance on Touch ID instead of Face ID is still disappointing.
The 8th generation iPad Mini, unveiled Monday, features an 8.5-inch OLED display, thinner bezels and a higher peak brightness of up to 1,200 nits. The screen still hits a 60Hz refresh rate instead of hitting 120Hz. It’s equipped with an A20 Pro chip, although the 128GB and 256GB models have five CPU cores, while the 512GB model has six. Apple also touted the new iPad Mini’s “acoustic display,” which includes woofers “coupled through the display to produce punchier bass and more volume.”
The new iPad Mini starts at $699 and comes in two colors: starlight and midnight. It’s available for pre-order now ahead of its launch on November 6.
Gn tech
