It’s an update that comes at the right time. With prices on the rise (and no ceiling in sight), the $699 iPad mini finds itself in an appealing spot, offering an impressive combination of features and performance for the price.
A20 Pro iPad mini: Design
A large part of Apple’s design philosophy is to make its products as compact as possible, especially with its portable devices. Even the new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display is thinner than the previous model.
That treatment is especially true if the product has “mini” in its name. Take, for example, the history of the Mac mini, particularly the recent 2024 Mac mini redesign. This time, it’s the iPad mini’s turn, and it’s now the most compact iPad mini Apple has made. Here’s how the new iPad mini compares in size to the old one.
| Dimension | iPad mini (A20 Pro) | iPad mini (A17 Pro) |
| Height | 7.69 in (195.3 mm) | 7.69 in (195.4 mm) |
| Width | 5.22 in (132.6 mm) | 5.30 in (134.8 mm) |
| Depth | 0.21 in (5.4 mm) | 0.25 in (6.3 mm) |
| Weight (Wi-Fi) | 0.56 lb (255 g) | 0.65 lb (293 grams) |
| Weight (Wi-Fi + Cellular) | 0.58 lb (263 g) | 0.66 lb (297 grams) |
The iPad mini (A20 Pro) is the same height as before, but it’s a bit narrower, thinner, and lighter. It’s smaller all around, which makes it more comfortable to hold in one hand, and you might even forget it’s in your bag. The previous iPad mini was small enough for me to always have in my backpack, but it pushed the border of pocketability. The new iPad mini’s slight reduction in size is a better fit for cargo pants pockets and smaller carryalls.
The new iPad mini is the first iPad to have an Ingress Protection (IP) rating. In this case, its IP67 rating means it has a dust protection rating of 6, the highest rating, while the water resistance rating is 7 (out of 9), which means the iPad mini should survive being submerged in about 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Besides individual consumer use outside, I’ve often seen the iPad mini used at outdoor events by staff, so the IP67 construction is an excellent idea to protect their investment.
With an upgrade to OLED, the iPad mini offers a brighter display.
Roman Loyola/Foundry
A20 Pro iPad mini: OLED Display
The major upgraded component of the iPad mini (A20 Pro) is the display, which now has OLED (Super Retina XDR) that replaces the LED-backlit IPS (Liquid Retina) panel. It’s not the tandem OLED that’s in the iPad Pro, so its overall image quality doesn’t compare to that particular device.
