Apple iPad mini (A20 Pro) review

Apple’s most compact tablet finally gets a thorough makeover. Though it may look somewhat similar to its predecessor, it actually has a new and slightly larger display. The chassis is also thinner and lighter, and more durable. On paper, it looks like it could be the perfect compact tablet. But then its prices have also gone up significantly. We can blame inflation and the ongoing memory crisis for that. So, does the higher price tag dampen its value proposition? And is the new iPad mini still the best little tablet you can buy? Let’s try to answer these questions.

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Thinner and lighter dust- and water-resistant chassis

The first thing most people will notice about the new iPad mini is that it’s significantly thinner and lighter. It now measures 5.3mm thick and weighs 255g, and that makes it about 14% thinner and 13% lighter. The last iPad mini was already a compact little thing; this new one is even more so, and feels nice in the hand. 

And for the first time in any iPad, it has an IP67 dust and water resistance rating, which means you can finally take it to the pool and/or beach and not worry about getting it wet. To achieve this,  this iPad mini has no visible speaker grilles. Instead, it has what Apple calls an “Acoustic Display” where the display is part of the acoustic architecture along with the tweeters and woofers.

 The new iPad mini certainly gets louder than its predecessor, but at maximum volume it has a shouty and echoey quality to the sound. I recommend limiting the volume to around 85% to 90%, and then it sounds pretty remarkable, given the design constraints and its overall size. It’s not the last word in audio fidelity, but if I were in a hotel room and had no other speakers to rely on, the iPad mini would more than suffice.

OLED comes to the iPad mini

The next thing you’ll notice is the display. Even though the footprint of the iPad mini hasn’t changed, Apple was able to fit a slightly larger 8.5-inch display. That’s achieved by using 24% thinner bezels. Look harder, and you’ll also notice that the display itself looks different. That’s because Apple has given the iPad mini an OLED display. This is a much-welcomed improvement because the LCD display on the last-generation iPad mini was starting to look dated. 

Do you notice the extra 0.2 inches? Probably not. Thankfully, the iPad mini hasn’t suddenly become a larger device, because its diminutive size is one of the reasons why people love it so much. But it also means that compared to larger iPads, it isn’t quite as adept at multitasking. Yes, iPadOS 27 will let you display as many apps as you like, but really, two with one in Slide Over is the sweet spot. 

As you’d expect, this OLED display has some remarkable specs, like 1,200 nits of peak brightness and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. It also supports the P3 colour space. To my eyes, this new display looks noticeably punchier and more vibrant. Sharpness is good since the pixel density count remains the same at 326 pixels per inch.

And for the first time in an iPad mini, you can opt for a nano-texture finish on the screen. This finish greatly reduces glare and reflection, though at the cost of some vibrancy and sharpness. I would consider it if I spent a lot of time outdoors, or if I intend to use the iPad mini to read ebooks. The nano-texture finish is gentler on the eyes, making the iPad mini more suitable for long reading sessions. Unfortunately, you can only get this on the models with 256GB and 512GB of storage, and it costs an additional S$150.

The display does have a serious flaw, and that’s its 60Hz refresh rate. There’s nothing inherently wrong with a 60Hz refresh rate, but it’s 2026 and given the sheer number of mobile devices with faster displays, Apple’s intransigence at refusing to outfit the iPad mini with a faster display is both curious and frustrating. It’s probably not a dealbreaker unless you are a huge display nerd, but it’s annoying to think that the iPad mini could have been perfect if only Apple just gave it a 120Hz display. If it’s any consolation, the jelly effect that plagues earlier iPad minis is not an issue on this new model. 

Performance and battery life

The iPad mini is powered by the A20 Pro chip, which is also found in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, as well as the iPhone Duo. It’s the first iPhone chip to be built on a 2nm process, and has 50% more memory bandwidth. And according to Apple, it delivers up to 20% better CPU performance and up to 40% better GPU performance. 

However, it’s important to note that the lower storage versions of the iPad mini are using binned versions of this chip. When placing orders, you’ll see that the 128GB and 256GB versions of the iPad mini are using versions that have one less CPU core and missing a 16-core Neural Engine. Only the 512GB gets the full-fat version with six CPU cores and dual 16-core Neural Engines. If it’s any consolation, all versions come with seven-core GPUs, and it’s unlikely that missing a single CPU core and Neural Engine is going to have a great impact on performance in day-to-day tasks. 

The unit I have has 512GB of storage, and therefore comes with an A20 chip that has six CPU cores, seven GPU cores, and dual 16-core Neural Engines – the same as the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, and the iPhone Duo. Unsurprisingly, this iPad mini was just about as quick as both iPhones. However, what’s interesting is how much more performant it is compared to its predecessor. The A17 Pro in the last iPad mini is only about 3 years old, but it’s thoroughly outclassed by the A20 Pro, showing the remarkable gains that Apple’s chips make year-on-year. Also worth mentioning is that this iPad mini managed even better scores than an iPad Air with an M4 chip. 

In real-world use, this new iPad mini feels fast and snappy. It’ll run anything you throw at it. The only thing that could possibly improve the experience is if Apple gave it a display with a higher refresh rate. 

Geekbench 6

Geekbench 7

Solar Bay

Jetstream

Battery life is decent for a device that’s just 5.4mm thick and has a smaller battery. Battery capacity is now 18.9Wh, which is a 2% reduction compared to its predecessor. Apple claims up to 10 hours of web surfing or video (the same as its predecessor), and I think that sounds about right. That said, I’ve only been using it for a few days, so it’s maybe too early to say. I’d update this section if my experience changes. 

Better wireless connectivity

Wireless connectivity has been improved thanks to the addition of Apple’s N1 wireless networking chip and C2 cellular chip. This means the new iPad mini supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. I did some quick tests using the Speedtest app and got nearly 1Gbps on both download and upload. The C2 chip is also used in the latest iPhones, and I haven’t experienced any issues in them, so I expect it to be the same for the iPad mini.

Wired connectivity, however, is unchanged, which means the USB-C port still supports USB 3 and data transfer rates of up to 10Gbps. External display support is also unchanged, and the iPad mini can drive a single 4K display at up to 60Hz.

A word on accessories

As is the case with all other iPads, accessories are sold separately and can be pricey. Like its predecessor, this new iPad mini supports the Apple Pencil Pro. It’s a must-have accessory if you intend to use your iPad mini for taking notes and sketching. The slight problem is that it costs S$199. 

Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t make a keyboard case for the iPad mini, which seems to me like a missed opportunity. Imagine a Magic Keyboard for the iPad mini. If it’s any consolation, you can find a good number of third-party keyboard cases for the last-generation iPad mini, so hopefully in time to come there will be similar keyboard cases for this new model.

Final thoughts and buying advice

It’s not often that I advise people who already own a last-generation device to upgrade, but if you own a last-generation iPad mini and love the form factor and what it can do, it’s worth biting the bullet for the latest iPad mini. It has enough improvements to justify the upgrade. The screen is much improved, the form factor is slimmer and lighter, there’s now dust and water resistance, and it supports the latest in wireless connectivity. 

As for drawbacks, there are only two that come to mind. The first is within Apple’s control, and that’s the 60Hz refresh rate of the display. It’s wild that Apple decided to give the new iPad mini’s an OLED display and then decide that a 60Hz refresh rate is sufficient. It’s a beautiful display let down by the fact that it isn’t as fluid as it should and could be. 

The other drawback is probably not Apple’s own doing, and that’s price. The global memory crisis has caused the prices of devices to skyrocket, and the iPad mini is not spared. What used to start at S$699 now starts at S$999. Even if you’ve come to terms with the prices of devices being what they are these days, that’s still an extremely tough pill to swallow. 

Furthermore, if you are a heavy user, then 128GB is probably not enough – iPadOS and system data alone take up around 18GB – which means you’ll want to cough up an extra S$150 and go for at least the 256GB version. Personally, I won’t bother with cellular connectivity (which is a S$230 premium) and would happily use my iPhone as a hotspot to save some money. 

All things considered, even with the substantial price hikes, the new iPad mini is a fantastic little tablet. And if it had a faster display, it could very well have been perfect.

Note: You can find the iPad mini (A20 Pro) on Lazada, Shopee, and the Apple Online Store.