<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s new in this iPad mini<\/p>\n
<\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n\n1. Thinner and lighter dust- and water-resistant chassis<\/li>\n 2. OLED comes to the iPad mini<\/li>\n 3. Performance and battery life<\/li>\n 4. Better wireless connectivity<\/li>\n 5. A word on accessories<\/li>\n 6. Final thoughts and buying advice<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/section>\nThinner and lighter dust- and water-resistant chassis<\/h2>\n\nThe new iPad mini on the top, and the last-gen iPad mini on the bottom. Notice how the new one is thinner and how it has no speaker grilles.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The first thing most people will notice about the new iPad mini is that it\u2019s significantly thinner and lighter. It now measures 5.3mm thick and weighs 255g, and that makes it about 14% thinner and 13% lighter<\/b>. The last iPad mini was already a compact little thing; this new one is even more so, and feels nice in the hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And for the first time in any iPad, it has an IP67 dust and water resistance rating<\/b>, which means you can finally take it to the pool and\/or beach and not worry about getting it wet. To achieve this,\u00a0\u00a0this iPad mini has no visible speaker grilles. Instead, it has what Apple calls an \u201cAcoustic Display\u201d where the display is part of the acoustic architecture along with the tweeters and woofers.<\/p>\n\nThe front-facing camera is now located on the long side so it\u2019s in the centre when you use the iPad mini in an landscape orientation.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0The 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
OLED comes to the iPad mini<\/h2>\nThe next thing you\u2019ll notice is the display. Even though the footprint of the iPad mini hasn\u2019t changed, Apple was able to fit a slightly larger 8.5-inch display<\/b>. That\u2019s achieved by using 24% thinner bezels. Look harder, and you\u2019ll also notice that the display itself looks different. That\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Do you notice the extra 0.2 inches? Probably not. Thankfully, the iPad mini hasn\u2019t 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\u2019t 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\nCan you tell which is the new one? Answer, it\u2019s the one on the left.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
As you\u2019d 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<\/b>. Sharpness is good since the pixel density count remains the same at 326 pixels per inch.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n\nCan you tell the bezels are thinner?<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The display does have a serious flaw, and that\u2019s its 60Hz refresh rate<\/b>. There\u2019s nothing inherently wrong with a 60Hz refresh rate, but it\u2019s 2026 and given the sheer number of mobile devices with faster displays, Apple\u2019s intransigence at refusing to outfit the iPad mini with a faster display is both curious and frustrating. It\u2019s probably not a dealbreaker unless you are a huge display nerd, but it\u2019s annoying to think that the iPad mini could have been perfect if only Apple just gave it a 120Hz display. If it\u2019s any consolation, the jelly effect that plagues earlier iPad minis is not an issue on this new model.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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