Apple’s new iPad mini features an 8.5-inch OLED display and the A20 Pro chip. (Express Image/Apple)Apple on Monday, October 26, unveiled a new iPad mini featuring an 8.5-inch OLED display, the A20 Pro chip and a thinner, lighter design. The tablet also comes with an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance, faster wireless connectivity, an upgraded front camera and new artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.The new iPad mini starts at Rs 82,900 for the Wi-Fi model in India, while the Wi-Fi + Cellular variant starts at Rs 1,00,900. With education savings, the starting price drops to Rs 76,900. Pre-orders open on October 28 through Apple’s website and the Apple Store app, with deliveries and retail availability beginning November 6. The iPad Mini will be available in midnight and starlight finishes, with 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage configurations.Apple iPad Mini: Display and performanceThe new iPad Mini sports an 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display. Apple said that the display produces deeper blacks, improved contrast, and more vivid colours. Moreover, the screen has a peak brightness of up to 1,200 nits and supports a minimum brightness of one nit. An optional nano-texture display designed to reduce glare in bright environments is also available. While it has a larger display, the new iPad mini retains the previous generation’s footprint owing to its bezels that are about 24 per cent thinner. It is 5.4 mm in thickness and carries an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.Also Read | Apple debuts HomeView, a smart display powered by Siri AI; new HomePod Mini 2 and Apple TV 4kThe iPad Mini is powered by Apple’s A20 Pro chip, which has been built using a 2-nanometre process. Apple said that with the A20 Pro, the device offers up to 4.5 times faster AI performance and up to 2.7 times faster graphics performance compared to the previous version. Apple also said that the chip delivers up to 60 per cent faster multithreaded CPU performance. The processor is claimed to be designed to support demanding graphics workloads and on-device AI tasks, including running local language models. The 512GB model comes with a dual 16-core Neural Engine for more advanced AI workloads.Cameras, connectivity, and AIThe device features a 12MP centre-stage front camera positioned along the landscape edge for video calls and conferencing. On the rear panel, it has a 12MP camera that supports Smart HDR 4 and 4K video recording at up to 60 frames per second. When it comes to connectivity, the upgrades include Apple’s N1 wireless networking chip, which supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread. Meanwhile, the cellular models feature the company’s C2 modem, which Apple said enables up to 50 per cent faster cellular data speeds than the previous generation.ICYMI | Apple Watch Series 12 review: A more capable health companionThe tablet runs iPadOS 27 and supports Apple’s next-generation Intelligence features and redesigned Siri AI, which is rolling out in beta. Apple said that Siri can use personal context and onscreen awareness to help users find information for relevant tasks. The tablet supports both Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), which are sold separately. Furthermore, the new TechWoven Smart Folio accessory is priced at Rs 8,500 in India.