{"id":53653,"date":"2026-10-26T15:17:56","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T19:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=53653"},"modified":"2026-10-26T15:19:58","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T19:19:58","slug":"ipad-mini-8th-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/26\/ipad-mini-8th-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"iPad mini (8th Generation)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apple<\/a> (Hacker<\/a> News<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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Apple today unveiled the all-new iPad mini<\/a>, featuring a stunning OLED display in an even thinner and lighter design, a huge leap in performance with A20 Pro, and water and dust resistance. The larger 8.5-inch OLED display, also available with a nano-texture option, delivers higher contrast and more than 2x higher peak brightness than the previous-generation iPad mini for a brilliant and immersive viewing experience.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

The new iPad mini features an innovative Acoustic Display for an even better audio experience when gaming, watching videos, or editing content. Specially designed woofers are paired through the display to produce punchier bass and more volume. In addition, custom tweeters are now hidden between the glass and aluminum enclosure for clearer highs.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

The 12MP Center Stage front camera is now on the landscape edge[…]<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

With iPadOS 27.2, iPad mini also supports extended display mode when connected to an external display, great for users multitasking with windowed apps.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

John Voorhees<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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The new iPad mini comes in Midnight and Starlight colors (fewer than before) and starts at $699, which is less than some rumors suggested, and can be configured up to $1,249 before accessories.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Before the recent price hikes it was $499. The MacBook Neo is also $699 (including keyboard).<\/p>\n\n

John Gruber<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Still stuck with Touch ID — a bummer in general, and a shit sandwich given how expensive these have gotten. Unless Apple decides to make a mini-sized iPad Pro (which I definitely do not expect), there’s no way to buy a mini-sized iPad with Face ID.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

This is the first iPad Mini with an XDR display. But: no ProMotion.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

The new Mini is thinner (5.4mm vs. 6.3mm) and lighter (255g vs. 293g for Wi-Fi models). The display is slightly larger (8.5″ vs. 8.3″) while the footprint shrunk slightly, because the bezels have been reduced by 25 percent. The iPhone Duo weighs almost exactly the same (254g to be exact) but its inner display is only 7.6 inches diagonally.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Ryan Christoffel<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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In fact, every configuration except the highest 512GB model includes a less powerful, binned A20 Pro chip.<\/p>\n

According to Apple’s tech specs page<\/a>, here’s the breakdown of the A20 Pro across different storage configurations.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Rui Carmo<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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I very dearly want to go back to the Mini since the Pro is too large as a permanent companion device, but the inflated pricing is not helping. and neither is my feeling that Apple has likely nerfed the hardware in ways that matter to me.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n